{"id":686489,"date":"2026-03-27T22:23:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T22:23:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/686489\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T22:23:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T22:23:13","slug":"wilshire-boulevard-cuts-through-macarthur-park-some-residents-say-they-could-do-without-the-road","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/686489\/","title":{"rendered":"Wilshire Boulevard cuts through MacArthur Park. Some residents say they could do without the road"},"content":{"rendered":"

This story<\/a> first appeared on The LA Local<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Imagine MacArthur Park without a road running through the middle. That\u2019s what most residents who live around the park say they want.<\/p>\n

This is according to preliminary findings from the Reconnecting MacArthur Park project, an effort studying whether the busy roadway between Alvarado Street and Carondelet Street should be closed off permanently. Under this proposal, the park\u2019s north and south sides would be rejoined to form one large green space.<\/p>\n

The idea is to turn the major traffic corridor into usable park space in one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

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Maria Ortiz, 59, who has lived near MacArthur Park for 30 years, welcomes closing off Wilshire, if it improves the area for families like hers. She is a grandmother to three granddaughters.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully they can close it so there\u2019s more space for kids to play, more surveillance and fewer homeless people,\u201d Ortiz said. \u201cRight now, the traffic is also bad, it gets really congested. People also don\u2019t respect when the buses are coming.\u201d<\/p>\n

For her, the park is important because it\u2019s the only one she has close by. But she added that changes should go beyond closing the road.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She remembers a different MacArthur Park when she was raising her children, one that felt more welcoming for families.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were a lot more events at MacArthur Park before, there were contests, they would give gifts to kids,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She joined her neighbors to participate in a public forum to explore the proposal.<\/p>\n

The Central City Neighborhood Partners surveyed more than 1,500 people from August to December and asked them to weigh in on five possible options:<\/p>\n