Carson to Restore MLK Jr. Street Rollercoaster Road

Carson to Restore MLK Jr. Street Rollercoaster Road

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The City of Carson is finally moving to fix M.L.K. Jr. Street, a stretch of roadway that has spent half a century undulating like a rollercoaster due to its location atop a former landfill. The city is allocating approximately $5 million in state funds to replace the road’s base and eliminate the dangerous dips and rises that have plagued the corridor for 50 years.

This project is more than a simple repaving effort; it is a structural overhaul of a road that connects Main Street to Avalon Boulevard and runs alongside the Victoria Community Regional Park. For decades, the settling ground of the old landfill created a rolling surface that made the street an “embarrassment to the city,” according to Councilmember Jim Dear. While the city previously relied on temporary patches and “rough road ahead” warning signs, the new plan involves digging several feet down to the landfill’s surface to install a durable foundation of geogrid and base materials before applying a final layer of asphalt.

The $5 Million Shift from Patching to Permanent Repair

The funding for this restoration comes from a strategic reappropriation of state Senate Bill 1 funds, which are part of the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017. By shifting these resources, Carson is moving away from the “quick fix” cycle that characterized the street’s maintenance for years. Public Works Director Arlington Rodgers noted that the new method—alternating levels of geogrid and base—is designed to provide a more durable alternative that enhances overall safety for the community.

Carson announces restoration of ‘rollercoaster road’ M.L.K. Jr. Street – Daily Breeze
Photo: newsbeep.com

The stakes here are primarily about access and safety. Families using the Victoria Community Regional Park and residents commuting through the corridor have had to use a roadway that was fundamentally unstable. By stabilizing the base, the city aims to improve the quality of life for the 98,000 people Carson serves, ensuring that a primary artery of the city is no longer a hazard to drivers.

“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.”
— Arlington Rodgers, Public Works Director

Legacy and the ‘Jewel of the South Bay’

Beyond the engineering challenge, there is a significant civic dimension to the project. M.L.K. Jr. Street is the only road in Carson named after a major national civic leader. Councilmember Jawane Hilton emphasized that the physical state of the road should reflect the honor associated with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., stating that “names matter and legacy matters.”

This restoration aligns with a broader rebranding effort launched five years ago by Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes, who envisions Carson as the “jewel of the South Bay.” Davis-Holmes pointed out that in many other cities, streets named after Dr. King are among the most blighted. She asserted that Carson refuses to let that be the case here, viewing the restoration of a street “forgotten for over 50 years” as a necessary step in living up to the city’s new identity.

Construction Timeline and El Niño Delays

While the city held a ceremonial start of construction on Wednesday, Oct. 28, drivers won’t see crews on the asphalt immediately. Due to the impacts of El Niño, actual construction is not scheduled to begin until the spring. Once work commences, the city expects the reconstruction to be fully completed by the end of next year.

The Infrastructure Trade-off

The use of geogrid—a synthetic material used to reinforce soils—indicates that the city is finally addressing the root cause (the landfill subsidence) rather than the symptom (the potholes).

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