News Release
Date: December 17, 2024
District: District 7
Contact: Colleen Park
Phone: (213) 269-0788
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
El Monte Gateway Monument and Vibrant, Climate-Resilient Landscaping to Highlight Clean California Project Along Interstate 10
LOS ANGELES COUNTY― City of El Monte residents and visitors will soon be greeted by a stunning gateway monument and beautiful, drought-tolerant landscaping features along Interstate 10 (I-10) between Santa Anita Avenue and the San Gabriel River.
Caltrans announced today the start of construction on the $1.5 million Clean California beautification project, set to begin Wednesday, Dec. 18 along a 2.3 mile stretch of the well-traveled thoroughfare.
The improvements are part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s Clean California initiative, a sweeping $1.2 billion clean-up effort led by Caltrans to remove trash, beautify public spaces and create thousands of jobs across the state.
The Clean California-funded project will beautify sections of the I-10 roadside in El Monte with improvements to softscape and hardscape, the addition of drought-tolerant plants for erosion control, and the installation of a gateway monument at the intersection of Peck Road and Valley Boulevard. Work is anticipated to be completed in August of 2025.
Standing 18 feet tall, the gateway monument will display the city’s name in bold, friendly letters above the official City of El Monte seal, nestled between vertical aluminum sheeting in blue and brown. The city seal features the words “End of the Santa Fe Trail” and reflects El Monte’s longstanding importance, from California’s early pioneer history to today, as both a place of passage and a destination in the San Gabriel Valley.
The project also includes the following elements:
- Rock blanket paving will be added to on and off ramps for a low maintenance ground covering surface with a natural appearance.
- Sustainable and attractive landscape elements to be added along the freeway include new trees, shrubs, ground covers, grasses, vines, and succulents.
- The gateway monument will be a welcoming feature to greet drivers, residents, and visitors to the city of El Monte.
“We are excited to break ground on these enhancements to beautify the landscape for residents and travelers in El Monte,” said Caltrans District 7 Director Gloria Roberts. “The gateway monument especially is a functional and eye-catching way to boost civic pride and strengthen the community’s sense of identity.”
Since July 2021, Caltrans and its local partners have picked up more than 2.8 million cubic yards of litter – enough to cover nine lanes of Interstate 5 with trash from the Mexican border to Oregon. Caltrans also hosted more than 600 free dump days in communities throughout the state – resulting in the collection of 14,000-plus mattresses and 52,000 tires. The initiative has enlisted more than 60,000 community clean-up volunteers and created thousands of jobs, including positions for individuals who were formerly incarcerated, on probation, or experiencing housing insecurity.
For downloadable video footage of past Clean California projects in District 7, see youtu.be/_OjNvTtZ1So.
Visit CleanCA.com to learn more about how Clean California is transforming communities. 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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