Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar introduced a motion Tuesday to secure $2 million from the Adelante Eastside Community Redevelopment Agency funds for the new Sixth Street Bridge Park.
The 12-acre public park will sit below the new $482 million Sixth Street Bridge connecting Boyle Heights and downtown Los Angeles’ Arts District that is scheduled to open in late 2020.
Huizar’s office said the motion is part of his commitment to securing an additional $6 million to raise the park’s design and construction budget from $23 million to $29 million and support the building of soccer fields, basketball courts and other recreational space on both sides of the park.
Boyle Heights and Arts District residents will vote on final conceptual designs for the park at a meeting in Boyle Heights Tuesday evening and in the Arts District on Wednesday.
“Today is an exciting day for the communities of Boyle Heights and the Arts District and the new Sixth Street Bridge’s 12-acre park space,” Huizar said. “We are narrowing down our choices for the final design for the park and the $6 million I am committed to providing will allow for the construction of elements and amenities local community members have prioritized for the open space.
“The new Sixth Street Bridge and park will be destination points for our local stakeholders, as well as Angelenos from all over the city.”
Demolition of the original historic Sixth Street Bridge began in 2016. According to city officials, the concrete used in the original bridge turned out to have a high alkali content that resulted in an “alkali-silica reaction,” which created cracks and sapped the structure’s strength.
–City News Service, staff