REDONDO BEACH, Calif. (May 15, 2023) – Beach Cities Health District (BCHD), with the help of a $1.83 million grant from Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), is preparing to begin work on the Redondo Beach phase of a bike path project adjacent to its Prospect Avenue Campus.
The Diamond Street & Flagler Lane Bike and Pedestrian Path Project is under Measure M Multi-Year Subregional Program (MSP) projects for the South Bay Subregion for the Transportation System & Mobility Improvement Program. The project was recommended to Metro for funding by the South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG) in February 2019. The project will add a bike path, pedestrian infrastructure and improved lighting and safety enhancements to improve accessibility, promote active transportation and enhance multi-modal mobility options.
The Redondo Beach phase of the project will install a Class I bike path from Diamond Street to just south of Towers Street, at the border with the City of Torrance. The bike route will also utilize Class III sharrows (used in situations where cyclists and drivers must coexist in the same lane) on the Diamond Street cul-de-sac ending at Prospect Avenue. The project also includes a retaining wall and regrading of a hillside adjacent to the Class I bike path in Redondo Beach, pedestrian lighting, new pavement, bicycle video detection sensors at the traffic signal, and new landscaping and trees in the Diamond Street median.
Work is expected to begin in early July and should take approximately 90 days to complete.
The project is outlined in South Bay Bicycle Master Plan that was adopted by seven cities in 2012. Enhancing the built environment with infrastructure that promotes walkability and bikeability are concepts championed by BCHD through the Blue Zones Project® and its “Living Streets” philosophy, which incorporates people-friendly street designs to provide benefits including increased safety plus health, economic and environmental benefits.
“We have learned from our work with the Blue Zones Project that improvements in the built environment can deliver benefits that enhance life for residents,” said Tom Bakaly, CEO for BCHD. “This bike path will encourage cyclists and pedestrians to be active, while providing a more direct, clean and safer way for people to get from Prospect Avenue into Torrance. It’s a beautification project for that area and we are grateful to Metro and the South Bay Cities COG for their assistance with this project.”
“This project will create an important connection for the cycling community,” said Jim Hannon, President of the South Bay Bicycle Coalition Plus, a nonprofit focused on making city streets safer for all road users. “During a series of outreach meetings to develop the South Bay Bicycle Master Plan, this particular route was identified by the residents of Redondo Beach and Torrance to be vital for the safety of children trying to get to school, families going to the beach and other local popular destinations in the Beach Cities.”
The full scope of the Measure M project calls for the bike route to connect from the corner of Diamond Street and Prospect Avenue in Redondo Beach to the intersection of Beryl Street and Flagler Lane in Torrance. This would provide an important connection and a safe route that would connect South Redondo Beach to North Redondo Beach and Torrance, providing the community access from the beach to Redondo Beach’s Transit Center and future Metro Green Line station. However, the City of Torrance has opted not to move forward with its portion of the project at this time, and BCHD plans to begin with the Redondo Beach phase of the project with construction expected to be completed by Fall 2023.
“We’re optimistic this bike path project will be completed in its entirety,” said Bakaly. “We continue to communicate with officials in Torrance and look forward to working with them to complete this important link between the beach and inland communities.”
More information about the project is available at https://www.bchd.org/healthpolicy.
Media Contact: Dan Smith, dan.smith@bchd.org or 310-374-3426, ext. 8165
