Metro breaks ground on $140 million bike, pedestrian path project through South LA

An unused rail corridor will be transformed into a scenic path for pedestrians and cyclists through the heart of South L.A.

Metro officials broke ground Wednesday on the $140 million project, which will take an old rail corridor and remake it into a five-and-a-half-mile bicycle and pedestrian paths lined with shrubs, trees, and seating areas. The project includes Metro-monitored security cameras to keep an eye on the area.

Local leaders say the rail line has been out of use since the 1960s, with blight settling into many stretches, and the people who live and work along the corridor say the long-awaited project will change their lives. One of those people is South LA native Montel Williams, who bikes to work.

"I get my workout on every day, ride at least a mile a day," he said. "You need that safety. You need that bike path, you know, so you can ride properly."

The project includes engineering changes to make intersections along the path safer, and removing toxic dirt deposited in the corridor from years of rail traffic.

"There's a large population that depends on bicycles and walking to get where they need to go," MoveLA Executive Director Dave Sotero said. "They will have a brand new amenity that will connect them with two major rail lines, as well as the silver line and the bus line."

Mayor Eric Garcetti said the project will hopefully attract new investments in the area, like coffeehouses and small businesses where people

The project could keep residents like Ozzie Gonzalez from straying away from South LA in search of more bike- and pedestrian-friendly environs.

"It's nice to know I could be biking or running around her…I'm usually up in Griffith Park," he said.

The project -- which will be funded with a variety of local, state, and federal dollars – is expected to be completed in 2024.