New pedestrian-friendly entrance to Union Station moving forward

A key phase of Metro’s big Union Station overhaul is moving forward with the release of a new environmental impact report, as The Source reports.

The project, which will add a new pedestrian-friendly forecourt and esplanade along Alameda Street, is aimed at better integrating the transit hub into the surrounding community.

In order to do this, Metro wants to remove about 60 short-term parking spaces northwest of the station’s front entrance and replace them with a new civic plaza. The stretch of Alameda Street fronting the station would be narrowed in order to widen the sidewalk and create an esplanade for bicyclists and pedestrians.

Additionally, the plans call for the closure of the station’s northern driveway and the partial closure of Los Angeles Street in order to create a better crossing for pedestrians and cyclists traveling to and from the El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic Park across the street.

Los Angeles Metro

Los Angeles Metro

Construction on the project is anticipated to take just seven months to complete and could get underway by 2020.

The plaza and accessibility improvements are just some of the big changes planned for the historic station. New run-through tracks will bring more trains in and out of the facility, while a gastropub is set to open in the recently restored Fred Harvey room. An above-ground concourse for Metrolink, Amtrak, and local transit riders could also be on the way.

Los Angeles Metro

• An Animated Look at the Big Changes Ahead For Downtown LA's Union Station [Curbed LA]
• Union Station's Getting a New Bike- and Pedestrian-Friendly Makeover at Its Front Entrance [Curbed LA]
• Video: The glassy above-ground passenger course proposed for Union Station [Curbed LA]