City and county leaders gathered Friday morning to celebrate the opening of a project they hope will ease congestion on one of the major thoroughfares traveling through Los Angeles and West Hollywood.
The construction of nearly 6 miles of priority bus lanes between Sunset Boulevard and Olympic Boulevard began on July 5.
The project ultimately aims to reach all the way to Coliseum Street, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority said.
The lanes will be in operation on weekdays from 7 to 9 a.m. and from 4 to 7 p.m., during which drivers can be ticketed for stopping or parking in those areas.
The initial construction was completed last month, and on Friday, Mayor Karen Bass, L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, West Hollywood Mayor Sepi Shyne and other officials came together at the intersection of La Brea and Santa Monica Boulevard to celebrate the project.
“It feels great,” said L.A. City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez. “When we talk about Los Angeles having a world-class transit system, trying to alleviate traffic and fight climate change, this project hits all three of those. I’m very happy to be supportive and hopefully get more of these across Los Angeles.”