Looking north on Figueroa from the intersection with 11thStreet. Rendering: city of Los Angeles.
11th & Hope; that’s the Starbucks on the right. Rendering: city of Los Angeles.
The ongoing effort to redesign Figueroa between downtown Los Angeles and South L.A. is a city of Los Angeles project. But I wanted to post the project’s news release here as Figueroa is also a critical corridor for transit service, including many bus lines (including the Silver Line) and the Expo Line that runs one block east on Flower Street.
In its present condition, Figueroa is one of those big, wide Los Angeles streets that resembles a freeway stuffed into the midst of a city. Los Angeles Councilwoman Jan Perry and the city’s Department of Transportation have been pushing efforts to transform Figueroa into something better — and I think it’s already improved somewhat. Judging from the above renderings, a lot bigger changes could be on the way to Figueroa and surrounding streets. I love the protected bike lane!
From LADOT:
The Figueroa Corridor Streetscape project (MyFigueroa) is moving forward with an ambitious plan to transform four miles of the Figueroa Corridor in Downtown and South Los Angeles. The complete, multimodal street will provide a safer, sustainable, more comfortable local environment for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders while still accommodating drivers. The project’s updated designs will be presented to the public at a Community Meeting on April 9 from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m.
The project, which was funded in 2010 by a $20 million Proposition 1C grant, is transformative for Los Angeles in several ways. MyFigueroa features the city’s first cycle tracks — an exclusive bike facility located in the roadway yet separated from vehicle traffic. As one of the first “complete streets” in the city, the Figueroa Corridor will include people-focused streetscape elements like pedestrian-oriented signage, transit platforms for boarding buses, and a three-mile bikeway complete with bike signaling. Additionally, the project will physically connect South L.A. and Downtown, linking notable landmarks, entertainment destinations and vibrant neighborhoods from LA Live to the USC campus and Expo Park.
The updated streetscape designs will be presented at a Community Meeting on Tuesday, April 9 from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Andrew Norman Hall Orthopaedic Hospital, 2400 S. Flower Street. The event will include a talk by Charlie Gandy of Livable Communities, Inc., who will speak about the economic and environmental benefits of similar streetscape improvements in Long Beach. The event is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be served. All event details can be found here.
Some of the highlights for the LADOT-managed project include pedestrian and bike improvements like high-visibility crosswalks, widened sidewalks, transit platforms, more street trees and landscaping, better signalization and signage, and public art. MyFigueroa is fully supported by Council District 9 and has been named a “signature project” for Los Angeles by the Mayor’s Office. Construction is expected to begin in January 2014 and finish by December 2014.
In addition to the meeting April 9, a brand new website has launched at MyFigueroa.com where stakeholders can view the planned improvements, read the project’s history, and sign up for updates which will continue throughout construction.
Two new renderings and an updated fact sheet are now available to be downloaded; more images and information will be made available at the event on April 9:
Download an updated rendering of Figueroa and 11th Street
Download an updated rendering of 11th Street and Hope Street
Download the PDF fact sheet on the project
For additional updates, you can also like MyFigueroa on Facebook or follow MyFigueroa on Twitter at @MyFigueroa.Questions? Email the team at info@myfigueroa.com or contact Tim Fremaux at LADOT: tim.fremaux@lacity.org, 213.972.4957
Categories: Projects
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Yes yes!!! I would love to see the Metro Silver Line run on dedicated bus lanes on Figueroa street along with stations for the Silver Line. These amenities should have been considered before the Silver Line began service.
[…] Today, Figueroa Street in Los Angeles is kind of your typical six lane traffic sewer. As Steve Hymon writes for The (LA Metro) Source: […]
With the street car added this will be fantastic. By the way, the second rendering above is the view east on 11th, not south on hope.