Elected officials and Metro executives held a community celebration at Leimert Park Village today to thank residents for their continued support during construction of the $2.058-billion Crenshaw/LAX Transit Project. The new rail line that will serve the Crenshaw District, Inglewood, Westchester, Los Angeles International Airport and many other neighborhoods is nearly halfway completed.
“I am so pleased to be going back to Leimert Park to celebrate the halfway completion of the Crenshaw/LAX Line, which will ultimately take Angelinos to the airport. The communities surrounding this Line have endured traffic, noise, dust and other nuisances related to construction over the past two years. Their sacrifice has not been in vain, as we already have a lot to show for it,” said L.A. County Supervisor and Metro Board Chair Mark Ridley-Thomas. “The Crenshaw/LAX line is being built by local community members, and millions of dollars have been granted to local businesses.”
The family friendly event included performances by local artists, a mock train, displays of historic items found during construction, a video simulation of the project and a marketplace of local businesses participating in the Eat, Shop, Play local campaign program.
“Los Angeles County is in the midst of a transportation renaissance like none we have seen before,” said City of Duarte Council Member and Metro Board Vice Chair John Fasana. “The Crenshaw/LAX Project is a vital piece of our future transit network; when completed this network will serve our region well into the future.”
“Today we mark a milestone for L.A., as we reach the halfway point of the Crenshaw/LAX project -a transit line that will finally bring rail to LAX and much needed traffic relief to some of our most congested and underserved communities,” said Los Angeles and Metro Board Second Vice Chair Mayor Eric Garcetti.
Resources and information was available on job opportunities, internships, pre-apprentice programs and on small business such as the Business Solution Center (BSC), and the Business Interruption Fund (BIF).
“Metro established the Business Solution Center, Business Interruption Fund and Eat Shop Play program very early in the construction process,” said Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker, Metro Board Member. “These are three very important mitigation programs that have been vital for the community of mom-and-pop businesses located along the construction zone for the Crenshaw/LAX construction project. It is important to recognize and protect the legacy businesses whose revenue may fluctuate during the construction period. Their survival is important to Metro, therefore connecting them with resources is vital. We want to recognize the sacrifice made by all businesses along the alignment and thank them for their patience.”
The new light-rail line will have eight new stations: Crenshaw/Expo, Martin Luther King Jr., Leimert Park, Hyde Park, Fairview Heights, Downtown Inglewood, Westchester/Veterans and Aviation/Century. Three stations will be underground, one will be aerial and four will be at street level. The project includes six new bridges, a light rail vehicle maintenance facility and power substations.
“Today we celebrate the halfway mark of the Crenshaw/LAX project, a huge milestone for the community, for Metro and for the city,” said Metro CEO Phil Washington. As a community, we must remain united in the goal of creating an infrastructure inheritance for our children. We are building not only for today, but for their future and the next one hundred years.”
