City of L.A. and Metro seek federal money for open space and infrastructure projects

Earlier this year, the City of Long Beach struck pay dirt through the Federal Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods program, netting $30 million for a project which will realign Shoreline Drive to double the size of Cesar Chavez Park. Now, the City of Los Angeles and Metro will try their luck.

According to a staff report from the Los Angeles City Administrative Officer (h/t @numble), the City of Los Angeles is poised to individually seek up to $10.3 million in grant funding from the U.S government for a series of new active transportation and public open space projects. The grant requests, which will require approval of the City Council, include:

• Port of L.A. - Wilmington Community and Waterfront Pedestrian Grade Separation Project: The city would request $5 million in grant funding for an overall $62.6 million project, which would create a new pedestrian bridge above two freight mainline tracks. The bridge, which would extend from the intersection of Avalon Boulevard and Harry Bridges Boulevard to the Wilmington Waterfront Promenade, includes a 400-foot bridge span, and is on track for completion in April 2027.
• Taylor Yard Community and Wildlife Access Project: An application for $1.3 million in funding would go toward a study of options for better the communities of Glassell Park, Cypress Park, and Elysian Valley with the Los Angeles River, schools, and new park spaces. Completion is expected in December 2026.
• Reconnecting MacArthur Park: A $2 million grant would go toward a proposal to permanently close the segment of Wilshire Boulevard which bisects MacArthur Park between Parkview and Alvarado Streets, returning the green space to its original condition. The project, which would expand the footprint of MacArthur Park by 1.7 acres, has a total project budget of $2.5 million and an estimated completion date of June 2027.
• Hollywood Central Park - The longstanding proposal to cap the US-101 Freeway between Santa Monica Boulevard and Bronson Avenue could get another shot in the arm, should it secure grant funding of up to $2 million. The feasibility study, which would cost $2.5 million in total, is expected to be completed in July 2027. Officials had previously secured $2 million to complete an environmental impact report for the proposed freeway cap park.

Concurrently, Metro and the City of Los Angeles are seeking an $86-million Neighborhood Access and Equity Regional Partnership Grant for a slew of projects to deliver new bus-only lanes, bike lanes, and other active transportation and transit infrastructure projects. That money, which would be coupled with $10.2 million in other funding supplied by Metro, could go toward:

• upgrades to bus lines running between 1st Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard;
• mobility hubs at key stops such as Chatsworth Station, Expo/Crenshaw Station, and North Hollywood Station;
• first/last mile enhancements in Downtown and the San Fernando Valley; and
• 60 new bike share stations between Downtown and Venice Beach.

Those priorities tie into other transportation and infrastructure projects that Metro hopes to advance prior to the 2028 Summer Olympics. Those plans largely focus on comparatively modest public realm, bus, and active transportation projects in the area between Downtown Los Angeles and Exposition Park - two of the focal points for the games.

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