City officials tear down the Redondo Beach wall at Tuesday groundbreaking ceremony
“Mr. Contractor, tear down this wall,” the crowd shouted as Redondo Beach Mayor Steve Aspel and councilmembers Jeff Ginsburg, Bill Brand, and Pat Aust drove a wooden plank into the wall. With the help of a mechanized Caterpillar, a large chunk of the wall crumbled to the ground.
The groundbreaking was the first action of the Harbor/Herondo Gateway Improvement Project, a $4.6 million project that will revitalize a key entrance point to the city. The parking lot on Herondo Street and Harbor Drive will be replaced with a welcome park plaza and the South Bay’s first bi-directional bike track, which will begin via a speed-reducing S-curve through the plaza.
“We identified this area as the highest risk area for cyclists in the community,” said Jim Hannon, president and founder of the Beach Cities Cycling Club. “I can’t even tell you how excited the cycling community is for this project.”
Eighty-year-old John Griego, a lifelong Redondo Beach resident who worked in building maintenance for the city for 23 years, was struck by a car on Yacht Club Way two years ago while riding his bike. Griego’s bicycle was smashed up and he suffered minor injuries. After his accident, he pushed city council to tear down the wall and consider a safer design.
The Gateway Improvement project is scheduled for completion in May 2015 and is funded entirely by transportation-specific funds.
