Work launches on Avalon Pedestrian Bridge at Wilmington waterfront

A signature feature of Wilmington’s emerging recreational waterfront — a 380-foot-long pedestrian bridge tentatively set to open in a little more than two years — drew city, port and community leaders for a festive, ceremonial groundbreaking on Thursday afternoon, Feb. 26.

The $152 million Avalon Pedestrian Bridge and Gateway Project will be a signature part of Wilmington’s new recreational waterfront, which now also includes a finished waterfront promenade. The 9-acre promenade area opened in February 2024, when scores of residents and visitors turned out to celebrate what had long been a community dream.

The transformation from industrial to recreational property in Wilmington has not come easily or quickly. A study on how to improve the area was initially approved in 1987 and eventually resulted in the first two developments: the $2.5 million, 10,000 square-foot Banning’s Landing Recreation Center in 2001 and the award-winning $55 million Wilmington Waterfront Park in 2011.

But that all came after years of community meetings, as residents organized to pressure the port amid longstanding complaints about the industrial impacts the town’s neighborhoods had endured.

With the debut opening two years ago of the Wilmington Waterfront Promenade, following the park and Banning’s Landing, a waterfront transformation was finally in the works.

The pedestrian bridge now starting construction will also connect to a new public recreation area —  the Avalon Promenade Gateway  — that’s being built as part of the project.

“We are thrilled to begin construction on this transformational project,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said, “that will create more green space and recreational opportunities for Wilmington residents and visitors alike.”

Port of L.A. Executive Director Gene Seroka, meanwhile, acknowledge the long road it’s been to realize the project.

“This project, the result of countless community input sessions, is more than simply building a bridge,” Seroka said. “We’re laying the foundation for stronger connections, shared opportunities and a brighter future for everyone in the Wilmington community.”

The Avalon Pedestrian Bridge and Promenade Gateway project will transform 12 acres of former industrial land into open space that features a landscaped entry plaza with a 40 foot-tall architectural sundial, a historic walk and overlook, open terrace seating area, pedestrian pathways, community gathering areas, two parking lots and public restrooms. The project also involves street and utility improvements at Avalon Boulevard and A Street, including grading, paving, striping, lighting and landscaping.

The project’s signature pedestrian bridge, designed by engineering firm TYLin, is planned as a concrete cable-stayed arch structure that will offer a safe crossing point over working rail operations and will connect to the Wilmington Waterfront Promenade, a Port Public Access Investment Plan project completed in early 2024.

The site for the Avalon Pedestrian Bridge and Promenade Gateway is located between Harry Bridges Boulevard to the north and the Pacific Harbor Railroad Lines to the south in Wilmington, extending halfway between Marine Avenue and A Street to the west, and Broad Avenue to the east. Construction is expected to be completed by late summer 2028.

Among those on hand for the groundbreaking were California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin, Los Angeles Councilmember Tim McOsker and Los Angeles harbor commission President Lucille Roybal-Allard.

“The Avalon Pedestrian Bridge represents another major step forward for Wilmington and the continued transformation of our waterfront,” McOsker said. “This project builds on the success of the Wilmington Waterfront Promenade by adding safe, direct access across the railroad while increasing much-needed green space for families to gather and enjoy. The investment will strengthen the connection between Avalon Boulevard and the waterfront, supporting local businesses and creating new opportunities for the community to thrive.”

The Avalon Pedestrian Bridge and Promenade Gateway is the third phase of the port’s Wilmington Waterfront Master Plan, which was adopted in 2007. Grant funding for the project includes $10.2 million from Metro Measure M/South Bay Cities of Council Governments; $42.1 million from the California State Transportation Agency; and $5 million from Federal Highway Administration.

“The building of this beautiful new bridge and gateway recreational area,” Roybal-Allard said, referring to overall public access on port waterfront properties, “represents another step toward achieving that goal.”