Crenshaw/LAX Line is Halfway Finished

Harriet, the tunnel-boring machine is moving right along, and LA Metro's Crenshaw/LAX line is getting closer to completion every day. Today, Metro hosted a celebration in Leimert Park Village to celebrate reaching the project's halfway point. Musicians and poets performed onstage while Metro staff distributed information about the project and its potential effects on the community. City and county officials gathered to make speeches and pose for goofy photographs. Attendees were even treated to the sight of an ancient bison bone unearthed during construction at one of the new stations.

This latest event is one of many parties Metro has been planning recently. When the Gold Line Foothill Extension opened in March, there were celebrations at the new stations. And when the Expo Line Extension opens later this month, station parties at six stops are set to include "music, entertainment and family fun," on top of free train rides throughout the day. Clearly, Metro is trying hard to raise community awareness and excitement about these new transit options--and probably drum up support for a proposed sales tax increase to pay for future projects. If ridership numbers on the Gold Line extension are any indication, the strategy seems to be working.

The Crenshaw/LAX Line, which will at long last link the third-busiest airport in the nation to LA's growing transit network, is expected to be operational by 2019. A stop at Crenshaw and Vernon will allow riders to board just below Leimert Park Village.

Crenshaw/LAX Line celebrates ‘halfway there’ milestone with community event [The Source]

Watch an Underground Metro Station Be Created in 3 Minutes [Curbed LA]

Plan Your Metro Trip to Santa Monica With the New Expo Schedule [Curbed LA]

Gold Line Extension Opens With Free Rides [Curbed LA]