The massive, people-friendly rejiggering of Figueroa Street, from Downtown to Exposition Park, is set to begin in January, but there's another intersecting street enhancement project in town: the Seventh Street Improvement Project. In conjunction with (and with money from) the 73-story Wilshire Grand redevelopment, the makeover is "geared toward enhancing pedestrian and multi-modal access on the project's key corridor," says the project's official site, seen via Brigham Yen.

The serious upgrades will be coming to the portion of the busy arterial that runs from the 110 Freeway to Olive Street (basically the Seventh Street's Financial District segment), though there are still a few options for just what kind of changes will eventually be put in place. At a January community meeting, the project team (which includes Martin Project Management and Meléndrez) shared three ideas. Possible additions to the streetscape include "bulb-outs" (sidewalk extensions at corners), scramble crosswalks at intersections with Figueroa and Flower, new street furniture, and transit platforms; there's also a suggestion to turn the existing bike lanes into protected bike lanes (aka cycletracks, like the one Fig is getting). These changes would intersect with the northern end of the MyFigueroa makeover project, and also run by the future The Bloc, which is turning the old Macy's fortress into a much more pedestrian-friendly shopping complex.

A second meeting is planned for sometime in the spring, with construction set for fall 2016, according to the materials from the January meeting.



· Exciting 7th Street Improvement Project Coming to Downtown LA [BY]

· 7th Street Improvement Project [Official site]

· Huge Ped-Friendly Figueroa Makeover Set to Start in January [Curbed LA]