New Memories Coming Soon to Hollenbeck Lake Bridge

It’s been more than 5 years since the Hollenbeck Park Bridge, which floats on the park’s lake, was closed to the public due to safety concerns. It has been a high priority of mine since taking office to make sure that we received the funding necessary to restore the bridge and return it to its former glory. For decades the bridge was a destination spot for thousands upon thousands of visitors, many of whom used the bridge’s picturesque view for wedding and quinceanera photos (including my wife Richelle and me for our wedding photos 10 years ago). I’m happy that the bridge is back in business. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony, I thanked our partners at Rec and Parks and the Bureau of Engineering who finished this painstaking process early and nearly $100,000 under budget. It was originally budgeted for $450,000. Also, an additional $150,000 in park improvements that I identified are well under way, witness by all the new trees that have been planted at the park. When it’s all said and done, we’ll have an improved landscape, walkway and a new fitness zone, complete with exercise equipment to promote healthy living in Boyle Heights. After we reopened the bridge, we kicked off our Pre-Independence Day festivities with a free fireworks show for the community! More than 6,000 people came to enjoy the show and live music. Thank you to everyone who came and a big thank you to our CD 14 staff! Great job! Here are a few pics!