City streets now are recognized as important public spaces that must meet the needs of pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists, as well as achieve specific stormwater standards while mitigating the impacts of climate change. The City of South El Monte, a highly urbanized and underserved community located in Los Angeles County, CA, is constructing its first livable green street. Merced Avenue currently has four through-lanes and lacks any vegetation, canopy cover, or permeable surfaces. The corridor's existing single-purpose design coupled with minimal greening and lack of Best Management Practices to address stormwater runoff and localized flooding elevates the need for a multi-benefit solution.
This project aims to change Merced Avenue into a community resource. The 1.1-mile Greenway will help maximize the City's opportunities to capture and clean stormwater, reduce urban heat island effects with increased shade, and provide safe active transit connections to local parks and river connections. 133 new trees as well as native shrubs and groundcovers within the biofiltration areas will also help increase habitat for birds, pollinators, and small reptiles.
Using a watershed approach, this Greenway will feature green infrastructure strategies that include bioswales, bioretention and biofiltration landscape areas, and permeable pavement to help address water quality issues in catchment areas surrounding the Merced Avenue community before being discharged into Legg Lake at the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area. The construction and completion of the greenway will serve approximately 1215 households and 5594 residents in the immediate neighborhoods to the east, west, north and, south of the street corridor.