The Port of Los Angeles’s Harbor Boulevard and Plaza Park improvement project has been selected by the Metropolitan Los Angeles Branch (MLAB) of the American Society of Civil Engineers as Outstanding Roadway and Highway Project of the Year 2018.
The Port’s Harbor Boulevard project involved realignment and reconfiguration of a three-street intersection at Harbor Boulevard, 7th Street and Miner Street in San Pedro, readying the busy LA Waterfront thoroughfare for the new San Pedro Public Market scheduled to open in 2020. With new traffic signals, crosswalks and bike lanes among other enhancements, the reconfigured intersection also provides another point of connectivity to other LA Waterfront attractions like the World Cruise Center, Battleship IOWA and Los Angeles Maritime Museum.
“The Harbor Boulevard improvements have resulted in safer and more seamless traffic flow through the area, which is of particular importance as we gear up for the San Pedro Public Market,” said Tony Gioiello, the Port’s Deputy Director of Development. “This project has also greatly enhanced the aesthetics of the intersection, providing a new and welcoming commuter and pedestrian gateway to the LA Waterfront.”
Additional improvements were also made to the adjacent Plaza Park, which overlooks the Port’s Main Channel. Enhancements included extensive slope re-grading, drought-tolerant landscaping, as well as a new lookout deck, decorative lighting and viewing benches. The park will also serve as a walkway linking downtown San Pedro and the future San Pedro Public Market.
Each year, the Metropolitan Los Angeles Branch of ASCE presents project and individual awards at its annual dinner, which took place last week. Awards are selected from nominations made by its member forums, technical groups, committees and individual members. Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. served as engineering consultants on the Harbor Boulevard and Park Plaza project.
