LOS ANGELES — Newly planted California native trees, shrubs, and groundcover can now be found on transformed landscaped medians along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, adding green spaces and biodiversity to Historic South Central. Caltrans and the City of Los Angeles celebrated the completion of the Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd: Equity & Connectivity through Greening Project with an opening ceremony and community run hosted by Councilmember Curren D. Price Jr. on Aug. 2.
The $10 million MLK Equity & Greening Project added and improved medians at seven locations along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, between Figueroa Street and Central Avenue, with native, drought-tolerant landscaping. The project also improved sidewalk and bus stop accessibility along the 1.5-mile corridor.
The improvements were funded in part by a $5 million local grant through Governor Gavin Newsom’s Clean California initiative, a sweeping $1.2 billion clean-up effort led by Caltrans to remove trash, beautify the state highway system, and engage communities to transform public spaces. The project also received funding from federal, state and county programs.
“We’re thrilled to see the results of this Clean California Local Grant project and appreciate the thoughtful work and effort by the City of Los Angeles to revitalize this corridor in Historic South Central,” said Caltrans District 7 Director Gloria Roberts. “Residents and visitors alike will benefit from a more comfortable, safe and beautiful experience as they walk and bike along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.”
The landscaped medians serve as a multi-benefit community resource, creating accessible green spaces and serving as a traffic-calming feature to improve pedestrian safety. These elements also mitigate the urban heat island effect and improve air quality and biodiversity. The use of native plants is purposefully grounded in sustainability, as local, drought-tolerant species require less water, pruning, and overall maintenance while providing a habitat for local pollinators and wildlife.
“The MLK Streetscape project is a major step toward revitalizing South Central, fostering biodiversity, advancing equity, and bringing green space to areas once covered in concrete,” said City Councilmember Curren Price. “We’re grateful to Caltrans for partnering with us to bring this vision to life. It’s a lasting investment in equity, sustainability, and community well-being.”
Project elements include:
· Approximately 30,000 square feet of new sidewalk and medians with 8 Americans with Disability Act (ADA)-compliant curb ramps
· New raised landscaped medians at Broadway Place, Wall Street, South Avalon Boulevard, McKinley Avenue, and Central Avenue
· Improvements to pedestrian refuge triangles at Hill Street and South Broadway, with native landscaping
· 6,500 new native plants
· 35 new shade trees
· Installation of water efficient irrigation systems
· Improvements to 14 bus stops with upgraded sidewalks, ADA accessibility, pedestrian lighting, and bus shelters
Since July 2021, Caltrans’ Clean California initiative and its local partners have removed more than 3 million cubic yards of litter from roadsides and public spaces – enough to fill about 115,000 garbage trucks. Caltrans also hosted more than 650 free dump days in communities throughout the state, resulting in the collection of 15,500-plus mattresses and 57,000 tires. The initiative has enlisted 72,000-plus community clean-up volunteers and created thousands of jobs, including positions for individuals who were formerly incarcerated on probation or experiencing housing insecurity.
Visit CleanCA.com to learn more about how Clean California is transforming communities and how you can get involved. For more information on current Clean California projects in District 7, visit dot.ca.gov/caltrans-near-me/district-7/district-7-programs/d7-clean-california.
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