Miracles do happen: the Metro board of directors voted 10 to 1 to approve funding for an underground Leimert Park station on the forthcoming Crenshaw Line light rail, as well as for a surface station for the line at Florence and Hindry in Westchester. Metro had hoped a contractor could build the stations while staying within the $1.7-billion budget for the line, but that either didn't happen or this latest plan is a contingency so that the stations get built no matter what. What ended up happening is that the mayor and the city stepped in this week, pushing $55 million of the LA Department of Transportation's Measure R transpo tax funds to the Crenshaw Line (the LADOT serves the city of LA; Metro serves the county and its rail lines)--$40 million will go to the Leimert subway stop and $15 million to the Hindry station. The subway station is expected to cost about $120 million, so Metro will provide the difference by allocating $80 million from their 2014 budget, which has $460.5 million in uncommitted funds (interesting), according to the motion from the mayor and several board of supervisors.
The news sounds like collaborative bureaucracy at its best, but one wrinkle remains: the Crenshaw Subway Coalition, which not only wanted a Leimert Park subway station, they want the light rail completely grade-separated. The train will travel at street-level in Park Mesa Heights, and the CSC is suing to stop that. Don't look for Metro to budge on that issue.
· Metro Board votes to fully fund Leimert Park Village and Hindry stations for Crenshaw/LAX Line [The Source]
· Crenshaw Line Archives [Curbed LA]
Loading comments...