By Emilie St. John
Contributing Writer
COMPTON — Compton Mayor Emma Sharif has announced that repairs to the Artesia Bridge are underway.
“I am extremely excited to inform you all that the funds for the bridge have been released and that the prep work to begin working on the bridge has already started,” Sharif said. “We are anticipating that the completion of the bridge will be by the spring of 2024.”
The funds were made available through the passage of Assembly Bill 179, which was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. It provided $12 million for the bridge repairs.
The funding under AB 179 was part of the Budget Act of 2022 that implemented funding for key priorities that included repairing the bridge.
The city initially requested $30 million towards the repairs stating the damage to the bridge disrupted businesses whose customers used the bridge to get to their shops.
The bridge, located at the westbound exit of the Artesia (91) Freeway leading to Santa Fe and Alameda streets, was damaged by fire in December 2020 that was caused by residents of a homeless encampment living under the bridge.
“The town center is impacted the worst, as businesses are losing $150,000 to $400,000 dollars a day in revenue, and those numbers hurt the city,” Sharif said after Newsom signed AB 179. “Many of the stores in the town center like El Pollo Loco, Bank of America, Target, Home Depot, the casino, McDonald’s, and other small businesses in the area are struggling to stay open. If this bridge isn’t fixed, they may have to close down, which it be a major loss for the city.
“We need to bring more attention to this bridge because it is a vital part of the community. This bridge is closed off and is causing a problem for everybody, as there are only four main roads that take you into Compton with the bridge closed. It’s causing severe traffic, frequent accidents, and unorganized detour routes,” Sharif said.
Residents complained of the influx of traffic along Santa Fe, particularly between Myrrh Avenue and Compton Boulevard where four schools are located and is the site of multiple accidents since the bridge closed.
“My concern is the traffic that is on Santa Fe and the traffic is phenomenal and in addition the speed is awful,” said Mary Martin, director of the ECO Center, which is located on Santa Fe.
The city looks to mitigate the communities concerns by having the repairs made as soon as possible.
Emilie St. John is a freelance journalist covering the areas of Carson, Compton, Inglewood and Willowbrook. Send tips to her at emiliesaintjohn@gmail.com.
