GREEN LIGHT

Motorists using 4th Street in Boyle Heights to head into downtown Los Angeles will get some welcome relief this summer when city officials debut an electronic reversible lane program on the busy stretch of roadway.

The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday approved the project, which will run along Fourth Street from the Golden State Freeway to Hewitt Street, just east of Alameda Street. Along the 1.1-mile route, 4th Street has two westbound lanes, two eastbound lanes and one median lane used for left turns and emergency access. The new plan calls for the median lane to be used as an extra westbound lane in the morning and an eastbound lane in the evening, with electronic signals designating the direction.

According to the Department of Transportation, 2,200 cars per hour drive westbound on 4th Street during the morning rush, compared to 400 going eastbound. Conversely, during the evening traffic peak, 1,800 cars per hour head eastbound, and only about 300 per hour are westbound. Many of the vehicles join the 4th Street procession from exits off the Golden State and Santa Ana freeways.