The $1-trillion infrastructure package passed by Federal lawmakers in 2021 continues to pay dividends for Los Angeles County.

This week, local lawmakers announced $36 million in funding through the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program for jurisdictions in California, a component of the infrastructure bill. Included in that total is $32 million for projects within Los Angeles County, including:

Shoreline Drive Gateway

Before and after conditions for Shoreline Drive Gateway projectCongressman Robert Garcia

The City of Long Beach has been awarded $30 million to West Shoreline Drive, allowing for an expansion of Cesar Chavez Park on the western side of Downtown. The reconfiguration will also provide space a new bicycle path and pedestrian features, while also diverting highway traffic from residential streets.

“This is an enormous opportunity to reconnect and create new green space while building a new gateway into Downtown and West Long Beach," said Congressman Robert Garcia, the former Mayor of Long Beach, in a news release.

“The new funding is the first step to rebuilding primary entry points to our Downtown for the benefit of residents and visitors,” said Garcia's successor Rex Richardson in a statement. “This transformative project will help us make our local streets safer, effectively double the size of Cesar Chavez Park with new usable park space for children and families and create hundreds of new construction-related jobs.”

The full scope of work will include:

  • Demolition of the existing northbound lane of Shoreline Drive;
  • Relocation of major utilities;
  • Required temporary traffic control and rerouting;
  • Major civil engineering and required regrading;
  • Removal of old fences, hardscaping, and landscaping;
  • Installation of new fiber, irrigation and power conduits;
  • Relocation of street lighting to accommodate new street and park alignment;
  • Partial funding for the realigned roadway and new medians at Shoreline Drive.

I-710 “northern stub"

View of the 710 stub in PasadenaWikimedia Commons

Some 30 miles north, the City of Pasadena has been awarded $2 million to address the future of the I-710 northern stub, a remnant of an infamous never-built freeway. The City of Pasadena recently took control of the land, and will use the funding to cover the costs of a three-year planning process - including a feasibility and vision study - to develop a site specific plan.

Follow us on social media: 

Twitter / Facebook / LinkedIn