Today city of Los Angeles leaders celebrated the groundbreaking for the long awaited My Figueroa complete streets project. Construction is getting underway this month. The facility is anticipated to open in June 2017.
The high profile street makeover will make Figueroa safer, more vibrant, and better for walking, bicycling and transit. My Figueroa connects with numerous high profile destinations, including Exposition Park, the Coliseum, USC, L.A. Trade Technical College, the Convention Center, Staples Center, L.A. Live, as well as Metro's Blue, Expo, Purple and Red Lines.
Livable streets champion and Los Angeles City Councilmember Jose Huizar proclaimed MyFig Los Angeles' "most complete complete street" and emphasized safety and a balance between multiple modes of transportation. Councilmember Curren Price, recalling his recent trip to Germany and Denmark where he witnessed bicycle-friendly streets, declared that "it really does work." Price mentioned wanting to explore adding protected bike lanes to other streets in his district to make safer streets "for everyone not just a few." Several speakers alluded to the ups and downs, controversy, compromise, trade offs, and hard choices that My Figueroa underwent. Including funding, planning, a lawsuit, a working group and construction, the project has already taken eight years.
My Figueroa will feature three miles of protected bike lanes extending from downtown to Exposition Park. In addition, the project will revamp 11th Street from Figueroa to Broadway, narrowing the roadway to provide ample sidewalks. The project includes landscaping, wayfinding, bus lanes, floating bus stop islands, bike signals, and more.
