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Of the two projects that were officially unveiled on Friday, the construction of a new bridge to carry 6th Street over the Los Angeles River and beyond is the more likely to happen. Mayor Eric Garcetti presided at a groundbreaking ceremony for the replacement 6th Street Viaduct connecting downtown with Boyle Heights.
"Unfortunately, the iconic 6th Street bridge is fatally damaged. But this challenge represents a rare opportunity to build a modern landmark for Los Angeles that accommodates our modern traffic needs – with improved vehicle flow, pedestrian amenities, bicycle infrastructure, and a dramatic design that demonstrates our city’s place as the creative capital of the world. Investing in L.A.’s infrastructure is a cornerstone of my back to basics agenda. We are a world class city, and it’s time we invested in world class infrastructure."
The NFL stadium proposed for Carson is more of a probably won't happen deal — a joint project of the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders to replant their flags in the LA market if stadium negotiations don't work out in their current homes. The city of Carson got help from officials such as Rep. Janice Hahn to announce the project today, but competition remains from the Inglewood plan to build an NFL stadium on the former Hollywood Park racetrack. And in theory, I guess there's still the Los Angeles plan to go in with the Anschutz Entertainment Group on a downtown stadium wedged between Staples Center and the Harbor Freeway. And Edward Roski's city of Industry stadium plans.
The Inglewood moved disclosed in January by Stan Kroenke, owner of the St. Louis Rams, gave the Chargers and Raiders the impetus to plot their own returns to the LA area. "We deliberately changed our strategy in the wake of what Kroenke did," Chargers advisor Mark Fabiani, the former LA City Hall official, told ESPN LA. "When this opportunity to create an alternative came along we decided to seize it. "The only thing that has moved the ball in L.A. has been Stan. If Stan hadn't done what he did, then we wouldn't have done what we did, and the Raiders wouldn't have done what the Raiders did and we wouldn't even be talking about this today."
