Western/Slauson First/Last Mile Project

As part of the Metro Active Transport (MAT) Program, the Western/Slauson Station First/Last Mile (FLM) Project works to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety within the ½-mile walk radius of the intersection of Western Ave and Slauson Ave in South Los Angeles.  This area is centrally located to several large-scale projects aimed to transform the neighborhood by improving active transportation, community resources and streetscapes.  The Western/Slauson FLM Project will augment transit rider access to nearby projects such as the Rail to Rail Active Transportation Corridor and the Slauson Connect Community Resource Center, as well as complete the streetscape enhancements for this high need area.  

Through extensive research, data compilation, walk audits, charrettes and public engagement workshops, the Western/Slauson FLM Plan will define a prioritized list of street improvements that will have the greatest impacts to improving safety and connectivity to transit and local destinations.  The design layouts for prioritized projects will be developed with feasible constructability, cost estimates and phased scheduling.   The prioritized projects will be implemented and constructed by StreetsLA with funding from LA Metro (Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority).

Measure M funds support FLM efforts in transit station areas and active transportation corridors, with an emphasis on project improvements within one or two blocks.  The MAT Grant Program is funding the 15% design of products aimed to improve and encourage biking and walking in the Western/Slauson station area.  StreetsLA will then coordinate efforts to complete the design documentation and start construction.  The schedule for project completion is currently under development.

The project area consists of the ½-mile radial distance around the bus stops located at the intersection of Western Ave and Slauson Ave in the City of Los Angeles.  Much of the ½-mile station area is residential with commercial land uses along Western Ave and most of Slauson Ave. The southern side of Slauson Ave and the area to the southwest is industrial from Wilton Pl to Western Ave.  The Slauson Super Mall occupies the project area south of Slauson Ave from Western Ave to Denker Ave.  

The two major streets within the project area are Western Ave and Slauson Ave. They are wide streets with large volumes of high-speed vehicular traffic, leading to long, uncomfortable and often challenging conditions for pedestrians and bicyclists crossing these streets from the secondary or minor residential streets. 

The project area is central to several active transportation and street improvement efforts aimed to transform the safety and accessibility of the area.  The City of Los Angeles is developing a project to improve the safety of Western Ave, which runs north/south, in a project called Western Our Way: Walk and Wheel Improvements. This high-speed, commercial corridor has seen a very high level of severe and fatal collisions in recent years .  Slauson Ave, running east/west, is home to Metro’s Rail to Rail Active Transportation Corridor, an investment in building safe and landscaped biking and walking paths that connect the Metro K (Crenshaw) Line to the Metro A (Blue) Line Slauson Station and eventually connecting to the LA River in a future phase.

 Rail to Rail Active Transportation Corridor 

Metro's Rail to Rail Active Transportation Corridor is the first segment (Segment A) of a large investment to transform a high need area by creating bicycle and walking paths from Metro K (Crenshaw) Line Fairview Heights Station to Metro A (Blue) Line Slauson Station. Construction is currently active in the Western/Slauson area, and the corridor is expected to be completed in late 2024.

Slauson Ave Street Improvements

The Slauson Ave Street Improvements project runs from Crenshaw Blvd to Western Ave in two segments. The City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering team is currently designing street improvements from 5th Ave to Cimarron St.  These improvements include the installation of ADA compliant curb ramps and the reconstructing of curbs, gutters, and damaged areas of pavement, sidewalks and driveways.

 Slauson Connect Community Resource Center 

The Slauson Connect project will be a significant destination along the Rail-to-Rail Active Transportation Corridor.  It is a community revitalization project on a Metro-owned opportunity site that aims to can connect South LA communities as a hub for childcare, after-school programming, community rooms, fitness center, mobility hub and green space.  There are plans for green infrastructure learning areas, open green space, landscaping and shade, and stormwater capture and management amenities.  

 Slauson Corridor Transit Neighborhood Plan (TNP) 

LA City Planning's Slauson Corridor Transit Neighborhood Plan (TNP) is a planning effort funded by Metro to identify land-use, zoning, and urban design strategies along the Rail-to-Rail Active Transportation Corridor. In identifying opportunities for employment and industry, the Plan offers design guidance for proximate development which supports a mix of uses that can galvanize jobs in sustainable industries.  The Plan will also strengthen access to the Rail-to-River Corridor and Metro stations along the A (Blue) Line, J (Silver) Line, and K (Crenshaw) Line.  

South LA Eco Lab TTC Project

The South Eco Lab TTC project has received $35M in grant funding from the State of California Strategic Growth Council Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) Program with matching funds totaling $25M from LA Metro, the City of Los Angeles, and other sources to create economic development through socially inclusive, sustainable and resilient efforts.  Improvements to environmental conditions and the reduction of pollution in South LA will be achieved through efforts such as the implementation of EV car share programs, StreetsLA cool pavement, solar installations, street trees and school greening projects.

 Western Our Way: Walk and Wheel Improvements 

The Western Our Way (WOW) project is a joint effort between LADOT and StreetsLA to address Western Ave as a Vision Zero Priority Corridor from Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd to Century Blvd.  The $48 M project will be funded by the City of Los Angeles and the State of California Active Transportation Program (ATP). Underutilized and blighted, the corridor suffers from a long history of disinvestment.  Western Ave also has a high number of fatal and severe injury collisions.  The Western Our Way project will address traffic safety by creating more signalized crossings, curb extensions, median islands and upgraded left-turn signals where needed.  New pedestrian scaled lighting along this corridor will improve community connectivity to proximate destinations and encourage active transportation.

The Western/Slauson FLM Project conducts a methodical assessment of existing conditions surrounding the intersection of Western Ave and Slauson Ave to evaluate needs and opportunities.  Data relevant to the station area’s safety and access is researched and visually mapped.  The assessment includes the station area’s land use, high speed corridors, street networks, collisions, and existing and planned wheel facilities. 

Walk Audits by the project team and local stakeholders verify the data compilation and documents the current conditions of the area.  Data is collected on existing roadway, pedestrian, and bicycle infrastructure and amenities in the station area.  Major barriers to pedestrian and bicycle access were identified along with potential improvements.

The existing conditions of the project area is also vetted through a series of public engagement and stakeholder events, activities, surveys, and online communication whereby the community’s detail input of their streets will be documented and analyzed to guide the development of the Western/Slauson FLM Plan.

The project team carries out charettes with local government stakeholders and representative community-based institutions to further bolster and ground-truth the knowledge of the area.   Community engagement is a fundamental part in identifying the Plan’s safety issues, access barriers, and potential first/last mile projects to improve connectivity.  Through public participation and community support, the team prioritizes viable first/last mile projects for implementation while developing a long-term plan for continual community engagement and project implementation.

Project development of these products involves the coordination and review of several public stakeholders such as Metro, City of Los Angeles agencies, City of Los Angeles elected officials, and other public authorities.  Design development of layout plans for the key project improvement features are detailed with construction feasibility, schedules, and cost estimates.

TBD

Thursday, August 15th, 2024 | 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm Community Update Presentation (Virtual Meeting)

Thursday, July 27th, 2023 | 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm Community Pop-Up Event at Chesterfield Square shopping center - SW corner of Western/Slauson

Saturday, July 8th, 2023 | 9:00 am - 10:30 pm Chesterfield Square Block Presentation

Wednesday, June 21st, 2023 | 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm Community-Based Design Workshop The Connect, 6111 S Gramercy Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90047  Event Flyer 

Sunday, June 18th | 9:00 am - 4:00 pm  CicLAvia - South LA  Pop-Up Westmont Hub near Council District 8 Constituent Service Center8475 Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90044 Thursday, June 15th | 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm Slate Z Transit Work Group Meeting Presentation Virtual Meeting

Empowerment Congress Central Area Neighborhood Council Meeting Monday, May 22, 2023 | 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm Western Avenue TECH Magnet, 1724 W 53rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90062

On Monday, May 22nd, LA Metro, StreetsLA, and the design consultant presented a project update to the Empowerment Congress Central Area Neighborhood Council Meeting. The overview included a summary of the existing conditions evaluation, outreach events, and key findings from community input to date. During the meeting, the council asked questions 

• to better understand the related streetscape and safety projects in the half-mile project area 
• and the types of streetscape and safety improvements the MAT Western/Slauson First/Last Mile Project could include. 

Please see the website's Related Projects and FLM Toolkit sections above for more information.

Kick-off Community Meeting Tuesday, March 28th, 2023 | 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm St. Brigid Church, 1755 W. 52nd Street, Los Angeles 90062

We provided an overview of the existing conditions in the project area that have been identified by the technical team and through a Walk Audit of the project area. Participants also engaged in a hands-on Charrette where they worked in groups to expand on the identification of the existing conditions on key streets that limit access, create barriers, or provide opportunities for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders.

Walk Audit Saturday, February 18th, 2023 | 8:30am - 12:30pm Harvard Park, 1535 W 62nd St, Los Angeles, CA 90047

On February 18th, we hosted the Western/Slauson MAT Program Walk Audit and Charrette sponsored by LA Metro, StreetsLA and CD 8. With the assistance of community volunteers, our evaluation of strengths, barriers and opportunities for walking, biking and accessing public transit near the Western/Slauson intersection is a crucial first step in making accessible connections to Metro Buses at the intersection and the Rail-to-Rail Active Transportation Corridor.

Project Overview Fact Sheet -  English  |  Spanish   Project Maps   Metro First/Last Mile Toolkit   Project Timeline  (Updated May 2023) Project Presentations  Presentation (Project Kick-Off - March 2023)    Presentation  (Empowerment Congress Central Area Neighborhood Council Meeting - May 2023)

To learn more about the Western/Slauson First/Last Mile Project or to share your ideas, please contact  project.westernslausonMAT@gmail.com .