A series of safety and efficiency upgrades along Figueroa Street including new bike lanes, new bus boarding platforms, wider sidewalks, new street trees, and additional street lighting were celebrated Thursday by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and other local leaders.
The Figueroa Corridor Streetscape Project -- MyFigueroa extends 2.5 miles along Figueroa from Wilshire Boulevard to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, with additional improvements on 11th Street from Figueroa Street to Broadway and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard from Figueroa Street to Vermont Avenue.
Included in the project is 4.25 miles of new bike lanes.
"Our city streets are bustling with life, and we owe it to Angelenos to make sure they are safe, vibrant places that everyone can enjoy," Garcetti said. "The MyFigueroa project is a major upgrade to more than four miles of our busiest streets -- making the trip from downtown to South L.A a safer, more enjoyable experience for all."
The MyFigueroa improvements include the areas of Exposition Park, USC, Los Angeles Trade Technical College, LA Live, and the Los Angeles Convention Center. It also connects to three existing Metro Rail lines and the future Metro Regional Connector, as well as many bus lines.
"As part of our DTLA Forward Initiative, MyFigueroa provides a key connection with other complete street projects we are executing, like Spring and Main Forward," L.A. City Councilman Jose Huizar said. "As downtown's resurgence continues and the number of residential units, visitors and new businesses continue to grow, we need forward-thinking transportation options that allow all transit users to feel safe and to thrive, including our bike, pedestrian and public-transportation users."
MyFigueroa was funded by a $20 million Infill Infrastructure Grant from the State of California funded by Prop 1C.
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"Projects like MyFigueroa open people's imagination to the possibilities of alternative transportation," Metro Board Chair Sheila Kuehl said. "By providing faster transit, bike facilities and better sidewalks, people can choose to drive less, improving public health, the environment and everyone's experience on our streets and highways. Metro is proudly supporting this year's bike safety workshops for USC students and expanding Metro Bike Share throughout the MyFigueroa project area."
