After 50 years of land movement creating an uneven – and dangerous – roadway, M.L.K. Jr. Street in Carson is finally being restored.
The road runs along the Victoria Community Regional Park, connecting Main Street to Avalon Boulevard. The park and roadway were built atop a former landfill and the settling ground has caused a rolling roadway, commonly referred to as “rollercoaster road.”
“This street, of course, is an embarrassment to the city,” Councilmember Jim Dear said during a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, Oct. 28.
But because of El Nino, construction on M.L.K. Jr. St. will not begin until the spring, Public Works Director Arlington Rodgers said, with reconstruction being finished by the end of next year.
For years, the city has attempted to fix the roadway, but has only had the money to patch the street and install signs warning the drivers of a “rough road ahead.” The city, however, recently decided to reappropriate about $5 million in state Senate Bill 1 funds (state funding for the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017) to restore M.L.K. Jr. Street.
Instead of a “quick fix,” the city’s Public Works Department will dig several feet to the top of the landfill and replace the base, alternating levels of geogrid and base before covering it with asphalt.
“The work now moving forward is expected to provide a more effective and durable alternative while enhancing overall safety,” Rodgers said. “Repairing this roadway will improve access, support for safer travel and enhance the quality of life for Carson residents and the many families who bring their children to participate in the programs offered at these facilities. We look forward to delivering a safer and more reliable roadway for our community.”
M.L.K. Jr. Street is the only roadway in the city named after a major national civic leader and should reflect that honor, said Councilmember Jawane Hilton.
“Names matter and legacy matters,” Hilton said. “So a street carrying Dr. Martin Luther King’s name comes with responsibility to maintain high standards for our youth and families who travel this corridor each and every day.”
Restoring M.L.K. Jr. Street, Carson Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes said, is another project that is bringing the city closer to living up to the label she gave the city five years ago – the “jewel of the South Bay.”
The City of Carson held a ceremonial “groundbreaking” for the restoration of M.L.K. Jr. St. on Wednesday, Oct. 28. (Photo by Madeline Armstrong/SCNG)
The City of Carson held a ceremonial “groundbreaking” for the restoration of M.L.K. Jr. St. on Wednesday, Oct. 28. (Photo by Madeline Armstrong/SCNG)
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The City of Carson held a ceremonial “groundbreaking” for the restoration of M.L.K. Jr. St. on Wednesday, Oct. 28. (Photo by Madeline Armstrong/SCNG)
“We rebranded five years ago and everybody was like, ‘The jewel of the South Bay? What are the other cities going to think,’” Davis-Holmes said. “Who cares what the other cities think? I only serve the 98,000 people that are here, so who cares what people think? I don’t. They can’t vote for me.
“This street was forgotten for over 50 years,” she added. “In some other cities, Martin Luther King Jr. streets are some of the most blighted streets. We don’t want that here in the city of Carson. And we’re moving forward in the direction of living up to our model – the jewel of the South Bay.”