If you take Pico Boulevard to get into Downtown Los Angeles from the west, find a different way for the next three years.

Section of Pico Boulevard to be closed LADOT

The Los Angeles Department of Transportation has announced that Pico will be closed between LA Live Way and Figueroa Street through March 31, 2028 to facilitate construction of the Los Angeles Convention Center expansion. Metro Line 30, which typically travels this stretch of Pico, will be rerouted to Olympic Blvd. between Figueroa Street and Union Avenue during the closure.

The $2.6-billion Convention Center expansion, which broke ground earlier this year, will create a new structure bridging over Pico to connect the existing West Hall and South Hall. Plans call for 190,000 square feet of new exhibit space as well as a 98,000-square-foot rooftop ball room.

Aerial view looking northPopulous

The section underneath Pico will not be ignored as part of the project - this stretch of road will serve as the primary vehicular entrance to the center moving forward. Renderings show a well-lit space with new drop-off and pick-up zones for both buses and private automobiles.

Existing automobile facilities in the Gilbert Lindsay Plaza space fronting Figueroa Street are to be converted into a park-like open area - although that will be conducted as a separate project as part of a cost-cutting measure for the overall Convention Center expansion.

Rendering of bus drop off at Convention Center expansionPopulous

After a pause to in 2028 to allow the Convention Center to serve as an event venue in the Olympic games, completion of the expansion is expected in 2029.

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