Street closure starts tonight for Crenshaw/LAX rail construction
A portion of Crenshaw Boulevard in South Los Angeles will be closed Friday night in anticipation of the construction of the Crenshaw/LAX light rail line.
Traffic will be halted for a block-long stretch that extends in front of Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw Plaza from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to Stocker Street. The closure will start at 10 p.m., with lanes expected to reopen by 1 p.m. Saturday, said Charles Beauvoir, the project’s director for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Drivers should expect delays during the weekend morning commute, officials said. However, there will be detours directing drivers around the construction. Southbound traffic will be diverted from Jefferson Boulevard to Vernon Avenue. Northbound traffic will be detoured left on Stocker to Martin Luther King Jr.
During the 15-hour road closure, construction crews will be shifting traffic lanes ahead of the excavation for the underground portion of the train station. Once the street reopens, traffic will resume with two lanes in each direction.
The bus stop on the eastside of Crenshaw Boulevard will be temporarily relocated to the southeast corner of Crenshaw and Stocker.
The 8.5-mile Crenshaw/LAX line will connect the Expo and Green lines, and provide a long-awaited car-free alternative to Los Angeles International Airport. Construction of the underground stations are expected to last four years.
The line is scheduled to open in 2019.
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