CULVER CITY — Construction workers finished installing a 440-foot pedestrian bridge across La Cienega Boulevard during the weekend of June 26, connecting the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area to the Stoneview Nature Center and Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook in Culver City, as part of the 13-mile Park to Playa trail.
The pedestrian bridge is the final link in connecting the trail, which stretches from Stocker Street and Presidio Drive in the Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw neighborhood of Los Angeles to Dockweiler Beach in Playa del Rey. Bridge construction is expected to be fully completed this fall.
The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, the Baldwin Hills Conservancy, the Mountain Recreation and Conservation Authority and other state and local agencies have been working jointly on the 13-mile trail project. The Griffith Company designed and is constructing the $10.8 million bridge.
Refugio Rivas has been working on the project for six months, serving as the project superintendent. His job is to supervise the day-to-day operations for the bridge segment of the Park to Playa Trail.
He got into the construction industry through a friend when he was 18. The thing that he enjoys the most about the construction field is being able to build something different every day and working outside.
“The community will be able to walk from the park all the way to the ocean after we complete this project,” he said.
Most of his time is spent supervising his fellow construction workers, specifically making sure they are safely following the established guidelines associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. He spends the rest of his time planning out each step of the project in order to keep the crew moving forward efficiently.
