LOS ANGELES — A stylish, steel sculpture depicting three waving strips of film is a new and welcome sight for residents and visitors driving on U.S. Highway 101 (U.S. 101) through Hollywood. This artwork represents the capstone of the U.S. 101 Beautification project, a $5.87 million Clean California effort that improved landscaped on- and off-ramps and slopes along 8.7 miles of U.S. 101 from Lankershim Boulevard to Beaudry Avenue.
Caltrans celebrated the successful installation of the sculpture and project completion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by project partners and Sen. Elena Maria Durazo on Dec. 3.
“The filmstrip sculpture is a stunning focal point for this Clean California project, adding new artwork to the Los Angeles highway landscape that pays tribute to film industry and inspires residents to take pride in the public spaces in their community,” said Caltrans District 7 Director Gloria Roberts.
The new public artwork, located on a U.S. 101 median south of Melrose Avenue in East Hollywood, depicts three panels of filmstrips to represent the film and Hollywood industry, set in a wave-like motion to reflect the flow of traffic. Constructed in galvanized steel with laser cut perforated metal for visual effect and to allow air flow, the sculpture measures 23 feet wide and is raised between 22-foot-tall steel columns. On clear days, the artwork can be seen in front of iconic views of both the Hollywood Sign and the downtown Los Angeles skyline.
In addition to the sculpture, the beautification project featured many landscaping improvements completed in 2024, with thousands of new native and drought-tolerant plants to accompany rock blankets to combat erosion, shoulders abated of unsightly weeds, and new irrigation systems designed to conserve water and keep vegetation vibrant and healthy. 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 filmstrip sculpture was designed by Caltrans District 7’s Design team, fabricated by Benchmark Arts and installed by department contract partner Yakar.
Landscaping improvements along the corridor include:
- Nearly 7,000 new native and drought-tolerant plants
- Approximately 10,000 square feet of rock blanket paving and 85,000 square feet of decorative stamped concrete added to on and off ramps and medians for a low maintenance ground covering surface
- New irrigation systems
- Over 1,500 cubic yards (enough material to fill 600 pick-up trucks) of wood mulch to reduce soil erosion
This project is just one of 314 Clean California projects beautifying communities throughout the state. Since launching Clean California in July 2021, Caltrans and its local partners have picked up more than 3.4 million cubic yards of litter from highways and public spaces – the equivalent of filling more than 136,000 garbage trucks with debris and trash.
Clean California has substantially increased the department’s previous trash collection efforts. Caltrans has now 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 more than 72,000 community clean-up volunteers and created 18,267 jobs, including positions for individuals who were formerly incarcerated, on probation, or experiencing housing insecurity.