South L.A.’s Long-Awaited Walking and Biking Path is Finally Here

Something beautiful is opening in Crenshaw District in May, and is tangible proof of the progress and transformation coming to South L.A. After more than a decade of advocacy and planning, Metro is opening a new 5.5-mile walking and biking path in the Crenshaw District.

The route of old railroad tracks that sat dormant for decades has been transformed into the brand-new Rail-to-Rail Active Transportation Corridor, which connects Fairview Heights K Line station to both the Slauson J Line and Slauson A Line.

The new recreation path runs along the former Harbor Subdivision—stretching through Inglewood and South L.A., through the heart of our neighborhoods, from Crenshaw to Slauson. This $143 million project is an investment in South L.A.

In what was an abandoned and blighted space in the community for decades, the 108,000 people who live the new greenway can now safely stroll, bike, skate, run, walk their babies, or just take a breath under the sky. This path is a symbol, a metaphor for the life being breathed into South L.A. right now.

Black Babies Are Still Dying — And America Let It Happen

Amenities on the Rail to Rail include completely separated cycling and pedestrian paths, extensive landscaping including several hundred shade trees, lights, security cameras, street furniture and wayfinding signage, among other features. (Metro Los Angeles Instagram)

This project didn’t happen overnight. When the path opens in May, it will have been two years and seven months since construction first began on the project, three years since the groundbreaking and 10 years and seven months since the project was first approved in October 2014.

All of it was birthed from the deep commitment of South L.A. residents and leaders who envisioned something better for their community. Back in 2014, members of South L.A. community helped Metro secure an initial $2.85 million in funding when they spoke up at a Metropolitan Transportation Authority board meeting where there was to be a vote on the proposal, authored by Mark Ridley Thomas, who represented the area then on the County Board of Supervisors, to transform eight miles of property along the abandoned railroad tracks owned, mostly by MTA, into a safe walking and biking path.

In that 2014 MTA board meeting, residents didn’t just advocate for a path—they painted a picture of daily life in South L.A. They talked about what it’s been like trying to get to work or pushing baby strollers through unsafe streets, lacking access to parks and open space, and needing healthier, safer options for traveling to work or school. They provided the facts about the community’s high obesity rate; low car ownership rates and that South L.A. is “park poor” with less than 2 acres of park space per 1,000 residents compared to 50 acres in West L.A.

Census data show that nearly 4,300 pedestrians and 2,500 cyclists use the corridor each day. Rail to Rail will provide a significant safety benefit for bicyclists and pedestrians because the new path will be mostly separated from busy local streets. (Rendering from Metro Los Angeles)

Former L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, who chaired the MTA at the time, stood up against the pushback to make the initial investment and supported the project by noting that “money begets money”—and time has proven him right. That momentum led to a $15 million federal grant, ultimately resulting in a $143 million investment into what is now a vital piece of infrastructure and pride for the community.

This project started with and for the people already here aimed at improving health, access to jobs and schools, and a sense of belonging without displacement.

Separated from busy streets, the Rail-to-Rail path includes two bike lanes and a separate walking path, allowing cyclists and pedestrians to move side-by-side safely. According to Census data from Metro, about 4,300 pedestrians and 2,500 cyclists travel this corridor daily. Now, they’ll have a safe, accessible space that reduces the risks of traffic-related injuries—especially important in an area where bike and pedestrian deaths have been far too common.

For years, this community has been overlooked when it comes to green spaces and pedestrian-friendly development. But that’s changing. There will be “extensive landscaping” with several hundred shade trees, benches, lighting and security cameras, according to Metro.

The path runs along the former Harbor Subdivision — the route of an old freight railroad — and will improve access to the neighborhood communities of Hyde Park, Chesterfield Square, Harvard Park, Vermont-Slauson, South Park and Central-Alameda. Segment B of the Rail to River project is in the early planning phase and will extend this path to Vernon and join with the LA River path (the pink line on the map). (Metro Los Angeles)

It’s already becoming more than a transportation corridor, a hub for joy and community: Local organization, We Grow LA, has been out there on the trail across from the Slauson SuperMall every Saturday in April hosting events like free grocery giveaways and family tie-dye days.

And this is just the first phase or Segment A as Metro refers to it.

Segment B is already in the works. Once complete, it’ll stretch the trail all the way to Vernon and link up with the LA River path, creating a regional network that makes it easier than ever to choose walking or biking as one’s main mode of getting around.

To learn more about the new Rail-to-Rail and Recreation Path: https://www.metro.net/projects/railtorivera/

Related Articles