At a ceremony held earlier today, the Port of Los Angeles broke ground on a $33-million open space project in San Pedro.

The L.A. Waterfront town square and promenade, slated to connect the San Pedro Downtown Harbor with the San Pedro Public Market development, will run parallel to the Port's main channel for nearly one mile, where it will connect to the new town square at 6th Street and Harbor Boulevard.  The 30-foot-wide promenade and the four-acre town square will incorporate features including public seating, landscaping, signage, lighting, and public restrooms.

James Corner Field Operations, the designer of the famed High Line linear park in New York, is the project's architect.

"Today we celebrate a major milestone as we break ground on the San Pedro promenade and town square, which will become the front door to the new LA Waterfront,” said Los Angeles City Council member Joe Buscaino in a news release. “These new spaces will be a gathering place for locals and visitors alike to enjoy the waterfront, outdoor events, dining and more.”

Funding for the project came from the Port's Public Access Investment Plan.  The Port has invested more than $700 million in waterfront improvements to date, and is planning an addition $300-million in projects through 2025.

The Griffith Company, which has been awarded the construction contract for promenade and town square, anticipates completing construction in summer 2021.

Work is also slated to begin later this year for the $150-million San Pedro Public Market.  That project will transform the Ports O' Call Village into a mixed-use complex consisting of a food hall, a 6,000-seat amphitheater, and other food and retail offerings.