Port of Los Angeles officials said Wednesday that construction crews are making progress on the $70.8 million Wilmington Waterfront Promenade project, which broke ground last October and is expected to be completed in 2023.
“The whole team at the Port has done a wonderful job on the Wilmington Waterfront project, made themselves available to the community throughout the planning process and really listened to suggestions and ideas,” Los Angeles Harbor Commissioner Lucia Moreno-Linares said. “After many years of hard work, we can really see this project starting to come together here today. It’s exciting.”
Designed by engineering firm Sasaki Associates Inc., the Wilmington Waterfront Promenade project involves both the realignment of Water Street parallel to the existing railroad tracks and street improvements.
The project will feature a promenade, public pier and dock, a public restroom with a “green roof,” a playground and parking lots.
“The Wilmington Waterfront Promenade and upcoming Avalon Promenade & Gateway are so important in connecting the Wilmington community with its historic waterfront,” said Mike Galvin, the port’s director of waterfront and commercial real estate. “These two projects will create more open space for recreational activities and provide tremendous economic benefits by activating the Avalon Corridor and Wilmington’s commercial core.”
The nine-acre promenade development will include construction of a community park adjacent to Banning’s Landing Community Center, along with other improvements such as irrigation, signage and furnishings, public seating, bike racks and drinking fountains. The site previously held a 500,000-barrel petroleum storage tank and other buildings that were removed to keep construction moving forward.
The Wilmington Waterfront companion project, Avalon Promenade and Gateway, is also in the works and currently in the design phase. The first phase, which is expected to begin construction in 2023, will cost $23.8 million and include a pedestrian bridge along Avalon Boulevard, making the new waterfront promenade accessible to pedestrians and cyclists. The second phase of that project will connect Wilmington’s historic commercial corridor on Avalon Boulevard to the waterfront.
The port’s Wilmington Waterfront Development Program is funded by its Public Access Investment Plan, which gives 10% of the port’s operating income annually to public access infrastructure projects. About $600 million has been invested since 2005 to transform the L.A. Waterfront and another $400 million has been committed through 2025, according to port officials.