The $1.2-trillion Federal infrastructure bill signed last year by President Biden is starting to pay dividends for Los Angeles.

Yesterday, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that the bill would provide $28 million in funding L.A. River Ecosystem Restoration project, with the earmarked money going toward habitat restoration near the Arroyo Seco confluence and at the Taylor Yard.

“The L.A. River is one of Los Angeles’ crown jewels – a foundational piece of our city’s story. Now, it’s on us to make it shine for ourselves and future generations,” said Garcetti in a statement. “This $28 million investment by our federal partners – their largest to date in the river – caps off nearly a decade of progress and investment in our bold vision of the L.A. River’s future. I am deeply grateful to our Los Angeles Congressional delegation, as well as the Biden Administration for this funding, and I look forward to seeing the transformation continue as a lifelong Angeleno.”

In 2017, the city paid $60 million to acquire the 42-acre G2 parcel of the Taylor Yard site, a former rail maintenance facility which is expected to serve as a lynchpin of the river restoration. Planning to convert the space into a park is already underway, complementing other projects that involve the construction of a new greenway along the river bank and a new pedestrian bridge connecting the Taylor Yard with Frogtown.

The full L.A. River Ecosystem Restoration project, estimated to cost $1 billion when approved in 2014, will restore 11 miles of habitat between Griffith Park and Downtown Los Angeles. The city expects the project to generate 14,200 construction jobs and 2,670 permanent jobs.