The city council approved the allocation of funds from county and statewide measures on Monday to fund a project to improve the Ballona Creek Bike Path. Dubbed “Greening the Greenway,” this project will focus on improving the 1.1 miles strip of the path between it’s entrances at National Boulevard and Duquesne Avenue.
The project will use funds allocated from the Baldwin Hills Conservancy (BHC) through the California Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014, which granted $10 million to the conservancy to “fund ecosystems and watershed protection and restoration, water supply infrastructure projects, including surface and groundwater storage, and drinking water protection.”
On Sept. 25, the BHC awarded $1,952,500 to the city for this project, which the city voted to accept Monday. That vote also approved a local cash investment, but those funds do not come out of the city’s general fund.
For fiscal year 20-21, the council voted to designate $200,000 of Measure R funds to “Greening the Greenway,” along with $647,660 of Senate Bill 1 funds for the project in FY 21-22.
Measure R is a Los Angeles County measure passed in 2008 that enacted a half cent sales tax increase for thirty years in order to pay for transportation projects and improvements.
SB1, also known as the California Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, increased the gas excise tax, diesel excise tax, and diesel sales tax statewide for a similar purpose to Measure R.
While more detailed plans of the project will not be released until Jan. 2021, a rough framework with several goals in mind has already been established. This starts with improving the accessibility at each of the mentioned entrances. About 100 trees will be planted along the 1.1 mile strip, and the path will be repaved with “eco-friendly, permeable pavement.”
To encourage more children and women to take the path, several potential safety hazards will be rectified through this project. Damaged fencing will be replaced, and markings and signage on the path will be replaced to improve safety. Solar powered lighting will also be installed.
