What is the Merced Ave Greenway? The Merced Ave Greenway is a 1.1-mile project aiming to improve the area for walking and biking while also incorporating features to manage rainwater, such as bioswale planters and porous concrete. The goal is to make the neighborhood nicer and safer while encouraging community care. It's being done in two parts: north and south of Rush Street. Construction on the south part started on January 8, 2024.
What is a bioswale? Bioswale planters are designed to capture, cleanse, and infiltrate stormwater. During rain events, water traveling down the street is diverted into the planters through curb cuts. The captured water infiltrates through special soils, rocks, and underground reservoirs, seeping deeper into the ground at a rate of 20 to 100 inches of rainwater per hour. The Bioswale planters are designed to capture 10.27 acre-feet of rainwater per year. In the event of a strong storm, water not able to be retained will overflow into high-capacity drains and return to the existing storm drain system.
What is porous concrete? Porous concrete allows water to pass through, unlike traditional concrete. This project installed 10,000 sq ft of porous concrete strips along on-street parking areas. This material can capture over 108,000 gallons of rainwater during storms, reducing runoff and improving water management.
What plant materials will be used? Phase I will plant 133 new street trees, including California Sycamore and Oaks, and a variety of native plants to improve habitat, increase cooling, assist in stormwater capture, cleansing, and infiltration, provide much-needed shade, and beautify the neighborhood.
What is the construction cost for Phase I? The Merced Ave Phase I - South cost $11.9 million.
Estimated completion date for Phase I? The south part of Phase I should be finished by December 2024.
How is this project being funded? Funding comes from several public sources: $3.732 million from Proposition 68, $4.67 million from Proposition 1, $3.23 million from LA County's Measure W, and $300K from the US Bureau of Reclamation.
Who will be responsible for maintenance? The City of South El Monte will take care of the improvements.
Who is leading this effort? It's a joint effort by the City of South El Monte and the Council for Watershed Health, with help from ActiveSGV, Climate Resolve, and others. TetraTech and Alta are designing it, and Gentry Bros is building it.
Where can I find more information? Photos and videos of construction can be seen here.
