Starting this fall, a major thoroughfare of the Eastside community of El Sereno will get a makeover to bring better bike paths, safer sidewalks, more trees, and ways to reduce traffic speed on Eastern Ave. The project is one of three road improvement schemes in the works that could transform the face of this 4.1 sq mile neighborhood at the border of Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley.
All of that is thanks to the defunct 710 freeway extension project, which left hundreds of millions in unused funding.
“Most of the money is for the El Sereno area because that was where obviously the freeway was going to be,” said Nate Hayward, Deputy Chief of Staff for Councilmember Kevin de Leon who represents Council District 14 that encompasses the neighborhood. “So the thought was, let’s re-invest in infrastructure improvements for biking, walking, transit, etc, on the major corridors in El Sereno.”
The plan to overhaul the three arteries — Eastern Ave., along with Huntington Dr., and Valley Blvd. — started several years back. Community meetings on the projects have been held since 2021.
Eastern Ave.
Work on Eastern Ave. will begin as early as this fall, according to Hayward, with construction projected to take 18 months. The 1.5-mile stretch will see a variety of improvements, including new street trees, painted bike lanes, and repaired sidewalks for easier accessibility. One particular concern was pedestrian safety, as two schools sit on the busy street.
“A lot of the community engagement on that project was, ‘Okay, how do we slow things down with a school?'” said Hayward.
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