A recent community presentation sheds new light on plans to remake Huntington Drive using money once intended for the scuttled extension of the 710 Freeway.
The four-mile corridor, which stretches between Los Angeles General Medical Center and the City of Alhambra, began as a Pacific Electric Railway right-of-way, and now features between two and three bidirectional travel lanes. The city's project aims to improve mobility along the corridor, including for cyclists, motorists, and transit riders, while also creating new public open space.
View at Mission Road and Lincoln Park Avenue, beforeCity of Los Angeles
Existing conditions along Huntington Drive can often be hazardous for those not in a motor vehicle - roughly 25 percent of the corridor does not have sidewalks and existing bike lanes lack protection, while traffic speeds exceed 40 miles per hour. And though a private automobile is the most common mode of transportation on the road, there are roughly 4,000 transit riders along Huntington, using buses which struggled with mixed flow traffic.
The city's design response to these conditions is to repurpose one auto lane in each direction of travel, creating space for new or improved sidewalks with pedestrian lighting, a separated bikeway, curbside parking, and new landscaping. Likewise, transit priority lanes are pitched for several choke points along the corridor, and new bus shelters and transit stops are also planned.
View at Mission Road and Lincoln Park Avenue, afterCity of Los Angeles
Some segments of the corridor include multiple design alternatives, such as the stretch of Huntington between Eastern and Van Horne Avenues, where enhancements could either be built along existing sidewalks or by expanding upon the existing street median. While both options would include new bikeways and landscaping, the sidewalk alternative would expand pedestrian space adjacent to businesses and include space for stretches of bus-only lanes. The median concept could accommodate peak-hour bus lanes, but also provide a linear park-type space at the center of the street.
Huntington Drive is one of three corridors where the City of Los Angeles is planning similar enhancements using 710 funds, including Eastern Avenue and Valley Boulevard.
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