Huizar Cuts Ribbon on El Sereno’s Alhambra Avenue Safety Improvements

9:56 AM PDT on August 13, 2018

The Alhambra Avenue Safety Improvements include 1.5 miles of new road diet bike lanes. Photos by Joe Linton/Streetsblog L.A.

This story sponsored by Los Angeles Metro to remind readers of traffic pattern changes resulting from Purple Line Construction. Unless noted in the story, Metro is not consulted for the content or editorial direction of the sponsored content.

Just over a week ago, El Sereno leaders joined L.A. City Councilmember José Huizar and city staff to cut the ceremonial ribbon on the Alhambra Avenue Safety Improvements project.

Councilmember Huizar (center light blue shirt) with El Sereno community leaders cutting the ribbon on the Alhambra Avenue Safety Improvements

The $1.2 million project broke ground in January. It extends 1.5 miles along Alhambra Avenue from Valley Boulevard to the city limit just east of Lowell Avenue.

The improvements are most dramatic from Lowell Avenue to the city border with unincorporated East L.A. This area, adjacent to the El Sereno Arroyo Playground, has an S-curve that neighbors report has been crash-prone. There were no sidewalks there. On the north side of the street there was a dirt path below a crumbling dirt slope.

Before: Alhambra Avenue at Lowell Avenue. Image via Google street view

The city added a new signal at Lowell, a new sidewalk and retaining wall, and extended curbside crash barriers.

After: Alhambra Avenue at Lowell last week

View of the Alhambra Avenue S-curve after improvements

AlhambraAv318Aug9 — The eastbound portion of the Alhambra Avenue S-curve has a short stretch of buffered bike lane

Alhambra Avenue's bike lane ends at the East L.A. limit where Alhambra becomes W. Mission Road

The project included resurfacing Alhambra Avenue with a road diet lane reduction on Alhambra Avenue from Valley Boulevard to Lowell. Four travel lanes were reduced to two, with a center turn lane and bike lanes added.

Center turn lane and bike lanes were added to 1.5 miles of Alhambra Avenue

One remaining component of the project is still being installed: a new flashing-lights crosswalk at Hollister Avenue. Last week, L.A. City Transportation Department (LADOT) crews were installing the new crosswalk signal hardware.