A new crosswalk at the intersection of Mission Road and Plaza Del Sol in Boyle Heights could soon begin construction after the L.A. City Council unanimously approved funding for the project Tuesday.
The move follows a deadly hit-and-run earlier this year and calls from community members who have long identified the location as unsafe and in need of a lighted crosswalk.
Council District 14 Councilmember Kevin de León spearheaded the motion to secure funds from several trusts in his district’s budget and other city sources. To install the crosswalk, the Department of Transportation must use some of the funding to update the street’s curb ramps and install traffic control devices. The total cost of the new crosswalk will be $608,324.01.
The intersection, which sits along a corridor between 1st Street and Cesar Chavez Avenue in the Aliso Village community, has high vehicle and foot traffic because of its proximity to Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez High School, freeways, housing and the 1st Street Bridge. Students from the nearby school and residents and staff of Proyecto Pastoral, a community nonprofit that runs a women’s shelter, are among the regular pedestrians in the area. A Metro E-Line stop is around the corner from the intersection and train passengers add to the foot traffic around the area.
Aracely Aguilar, an employee of Proyecto Pastoral, said a crosswalk bridging the nonprofit and Mendez High School was a needed change.
“Friday nights, it’s like a racetrack here,” Aguilar said of the street outside. “It’s pretty scary. We just want the change, especially for the kids from the high school.” Aguilar said many of the women at the shelter are seniors and need better pedestrian-friendly infrastructure in the area.
Another Proyecto Pastoral employee, Veronica Vasquez, agreed, saying that many of the students and families referred to Proyecto Pastoral from Mendez High often have to jaywalk across Mission Road for the center’s services. Vasquez said the nonprofit installed a mirror in the driveway of their staff parking lot to protect employees from speeding cars on Mission as they exit the property.
In April, Jose Dorado, 77, was struck and killed by a vehicle at the intersection. According to Los Angeles Police Department Detective Calvin DeHesa, the search for the driver in the incident is still ongoing. A reward of up to $50,000 is available to community members who provide information that leads to the suspect’s identification, apprehension and conviction.
The decision to provide funding for the crosswalk comes after a spike in pedestrian deaths across the city. In October, De León unveiled another crosswalk on Whittier Boulevard where a teen lost his leg in a hit-and-run accident in 2023 following community calls to better manage pedestrian safety in the area.
The councilman could not be reached for comment.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass must give final approval for the motion before construction for the crosswalk begins.
