Remaking Rosecrans – Major Roadway Improvements Get Underway
City and federal leaders held a groundbreaking ceremony on March 26 to kick off an ambitious improvement project for Rosecrans Avenue in Paramount.
Mayor Gene Daniels, Vice Mayor Diane J. Martinez and Councilmember Peggy Lemons were joined by U.S. Congresswoman Linda Sánchez – who secured $400,000 in federal transportation funds to help make the project possible. The rest of the $1.3 million cost came from a Los Angeles County grant through the efforts of Supervisor Don Knabe and the City’s allotment of MTA Proposition C funds.
“Congresswoman Sánchez and Supervisor Knabe have always been great friends to our city,”
Mayor Daniels said during the event. “Rosecrans Avenue is the busiest street in Paramount, so giving it a complete makeover is extremely important for us.”
As Congresswoman Sánchez noted: “Most of what we pay at the gas pump goes to the oil companies and owners of oil fields around the world. But a small portion (18 cents per gallon) is a federal gasoline tax used to fund roads and highways and mass transit across our country. I work hard in Congress to bring home our fair share of those tax dollars to help with transportation
projects in our region.”
“That’s why I am very pleased,” she continued, “that today we’re seeing one result of all that work to bring those tax dollars home for the benefit of the people who pay them.”
The project to repair and improve Rosecrans Avenue –scheduled to take four months – will extend from Garfield Avenue to the City’s eastern limit. The street will be repaved with rubberized asphalt (5,900 tons of it) made from recycled tires. This will have a longer life span, and be quieter for motorists and nearby residents, than standard asphalt.
In addition, 18,000 square feet of sidewalks will be replaced and 2,100 linear feet of curbs and gutters will be repaired. In a related project, the City is modernizing the water main that runs beneath Rosecrans.
The road work will be carried out in a “commuter-friendly” manner, with the bulk of construction activity taking place between 8:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. each weekday. This will avoid rush hour (and potential traffic snarls). Also, there will always be at least one lane in each direction open for uninterrupted traffic flow.
Upcoming Council & Commission Meetings
Council and commission meetings are held at City Hall, 16400 Colorado Avenue. For more information, please call (562) 220-2027.
04/09/08 - 6:30 PM Planning Commission
04/15/08 - 5:00 PM City Council Meeting
04/16/08 -6 PM Public Safety Commission
04/22/08 -6 PM Parks & Recreation Commission
05/01/08 - 6:00 PM Public Works Commission
05/06/08 - 7:00 PM City Council Meeting
Attending the groundbreaking ceremony for the Rosecrans project were, l-r, Paramount City Councilmember Peggy Lemons, U.S. Congresswoman Linda Sánchez, Paramount Vice Mayor Diane J. Martinez and Paramount Mayor Gene Daniels.