No gondola? No problem. Here are other options for improving transportation to Dodger Stadium

Though approved by the Metro Board of Directors, the controversial Dodger Stadium Gondola remains in limbo as Los Angeles city officials evaluate transportation to and from Chavez Ravine. In the meantime, a recent Metro staff report suggests other options for improving access to the home of the 2024 World Series champions.

The report, requested as part of the approval by the Metro Board in February 2024, explores the cost and feasibility of mobility projects serving the Echo Park and Chinatown communities which surround Dodger Stadium. The environmental study for the gondola project found that events at the stadium generate approximately 563,000 daily vehicle miles traveled on weekdays (and a whopping 737,000 on weekends), impacting surrounding corridors such as Sunset Boulevard and the 110 Freeway.

Although the stadium, surrounded by sprawling parking lots, is famed for snarling traffic around it for miles, savvy fans know to make use of the Dodger Stadium Express, which began operating on game days in 2010. Starting at Union Station and the Harbor Gateway Transit Center, the shuttle service uses dedicated lanes along Cesar Chavez Avenue, Sunset Boulevard, and Vin Scully Avenue to and from the venue, saving 25 minutes of travel time on average.

Metro has already considered the Sunset Boulevard - Cesar Chavez corridor as one of its prime candidates for a future bus rapid transit line. The proposed service would extend 13.6 miles from East Los Angeles to Glendale, and would cross the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Vin Scully Avenue, approximately a half-mile west of the stadium.

The staff report notes that bus rapid transit stations can be built at the intersection of Sunset and Vin Scully, although doing so would require the relocation of tree wells, utilities, and driveways. The cost of such a project, extending the full distance between Glendale and East Los Angeles, could also range between $340 million and $408 million.

The report also points to other possible ways to improve access via bus lanes, including using automated camera enforcement to deter rideshare vehicles and parking violations, as well as wider sidewalks along Vin Scully Avenue between Sunset Boulevard and the Stadium. Additionally, the report references the Sunset4All project led by Streets For All, which would bring 3.2 miles of landscaping, bike lanes, and improved pedestrian infrastructure to Sunset Boulevard through the Silver Lake, Echo Park, and Los Feliz neighborhoods.

Similarly, the City of Los Angeles has long-term plans to add bus and bike lanes between the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Fountain Avenue in Los Feliz and the intersection of Mission Road and Cesar E. Chavez Avenue in Boyle Heights. That project, though separate from Sunset4All, could be built in concert with the improvement envisioned by the Streets For All project.

Likewise, the Zero Emissions Transit non-profit organization responsible for managing the Dodger Stadium gondola has also starting pursuing active transportation projects between the stadium and Chinatown. These include a pedestrian pathway from the A Line's Chinatown Station to Dodger Stadium using the Yale Street pedestrian bridge, which would mimic a walking path that existed prior to the construction of the stadium. The organization has also proposed to eliminate sidewalk gaps and make other unspecified improvements to bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure in the neighborhood.

Follow us on social media: 

Twitter / Facebook / LinkedIn / Threads / Instagram / Bluesky

• Dodger Stadium Gondola (Urbanize LA)