Figueroa Street’s 4-mile-long makeover nears the finish line

The DTLA project, known as MyFig, has been in the pipeline for a decade

An artist''s rendering shows a protected bike lane that will be built on Figueroa Street as part of the My Figueroa project (Credit: LA Department of Transportation)
An artist''s rendering shows a protected bike lane that will be built on Figueroa Street as part of the My Figueroa project (Credit: LA Department of Transportation)

Nearly 10 years after it was approved, the renovation project to transform Figueroa Street is nearing completion.

The $20 million effort, dubbed MyFigueroa Streetscape Project, set out to remake a four-mile stretch of the busy Downtown Los Angeles street. It will be completed this month, Southern California Public Radio reported.

Known as MyFig, it will add three miles of bikeway, wider sidewalks, landscaping, art and improved signal timing along the stretch, from 7th Street to Exposition Park. Once completed, buses will be able to pick up passengers without interfering with the bike lane.

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Faced with myriad setbacks, including a lawsuit, the project had been slow going. Its construction was delayed until October 2016, pushing back an expected completion date of 2015 until spring 2018.

It has been largely funded by a 2010 grant from Proposition 1C, a voter-approved measure that authorized $2.85 billion for infrastructure, housing and development programs.

My Figueroa is part of the Complete Streets initiative, a citywide effort meant to increase safety and overall design of streets in Los Angeles. [SCPR] — Natalie Hoberman