Metro Board approves new stations name for Crenshaw/LAX light-rail project

The construction process for the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Project (Photos Courtesy of Metro).

The Metro Board of Director approved the new names for the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Project during the July monthly board meeting. The official names for the eight stations are Expo/Crenshaw, Martin Luther King Jr., Leimert Park, Hyde Park, Fairview Heights, Downtown Inglewood, Westchester/Veterans and Aviation/Century.

Construction is dynamic process and schedules may change without previous notice.

Underground stations

Walsh/Shea Corridor Constructors (WSCC) is continuing excavation of the Expo/Crenshaw underground station where they reached the depth of approximately 50 feet and expect to reach 65 feet in the next few weeks. At Martin Luther King Jr. Station the constructor has reached 25 foot depth and at the Leimert Park Station they are working to reach 25 foot depth.

Cut and Cover Upcoming Operations

Construction of the portal (entrance/exit) between Vernon Avenue and 48^th Street is coming soon with such activities as steel pile installation, utility relocation, sidewalk reconstruction, street excavation and decking, and construction of the portal.

This work phase entails:

Establishing a new work zone at the center of Crenshaw Boulevard between Vernon Avenue and 48^th Street that will be in place for approximately three years.
There will be new parking restrictions on Crenshaw Boulevard between Vernon Avenue and 48^th Metro has opened a temporary parking lot at the northeast corner of Crenshaw Boulevard and 48^th Street.
Detoured pedestrian access at certain locations.
Temporary elimination of left turn on southbound Crenshaw Boulevard at 48^th
Sidewalk reconstruction on Crenshaw Boulevard from Vernon Avenue to 48^th

This work is in preparation for the significant full street closures that is anticipate in the near future:

A 10-day closure of one block on Vernon Avenue, between Leimert Park and Crenshaw Boulevards, for steel pile installation. Crenshaw Boulevard will not be affected.
Crenshaw Boulevard, between 43^rd Street/Homeland Drive and 48^th Street will be closed for utility relocation and steel pile installation for four consecutive weekends.
37-day closure of Crenshaw Boulevard between 43^rd Street/Homeland Drive and 48^th Street to excavate and deck a porting of the street.

Park Mesa Heights

Other construction activities coming soon will be cut and cover operations for the underground segment on Crenshaw Boulevard between 59^th and 67^th streets; a traffic reconfiguration will create a working zone with K-rail placed in the center of Crenshaw Boulevard. The activities will include saw cutting, staging of construction materials and later steel pile installation.

Left turn restrictions will be implemented for both north and south bound traffic on Crenshaw Boulevard at 59^thStreet, 59^th Place, 63^rd and 67^th streets. Access across 59^th Street and 59^th Place through Crenshaw Boulevard will be restricted. Left turns onto 60^th Street will be maintained for north and south bound traffic.

Southern sector

Welding of rail tracks is done for now at the Redondo and Arbor Vitae areas. Each welded segment is 1080 feet long. The welded rail track will be installed later on the project.

La Brea Bridge

The abutments are 95 percent completed and the falsework (framing) for the superstructure will begin in the next couple of weeks.

La Cienega/I-405 Fwy Bridge

The contractor is drilling to install large steel pile on the east side of the I-405 freeway. The base for the columns will be 135 feet deep.

Manchester Bridge

WSCC will begin next week working on the abutments for the footing of the bridge over Manchester Avenue.

Aviation/Century aerial station

The falsework (framing) is almost done on the south side and also abutments are almost ready. Twelve columns will be on the north side of Century, two more in the Century Boulevard median and two more south of Century Boulevard.

UG1 (underground segment between 104^th and 111^th)

In this area just west of Aviation Boulevard, WSCC continues to install steel piles and lagging –lagging entails insertion of timber planks between each steel pile to create a wall.

111^th Street

Abutments 1 and 2 are being built for the bridge that will begin in this area south of 111^th Street that will connect with the Metro Green Line. Traffic on 111^th street is eastbound only until they finish the bridge by the end of 2015 or early 2016.

Green Line Connection

Construction of the 10 columns needed to support the two connectors is now in progress. The columns will connect with the east and west bound tracks of the Metro Green Line.

The 8.5-mile Crenshaw/LAX Line is a $2.058 billion light-rail line that will connect the Green Line and the Expo Line. It will have eight new stations to serve the Crenshaw, Inglewood and LAX communities. It is expected to open in 2019.

For more information on the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Project go to metro.net/Crenshaw or join us on Facebook and on Twitter at @crenshawrail or call the project hotline 213.922.2736.