Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas calls for safety, economic protections for Crenshaw/LAX Light Rail corridor
Seeks community benefits package
Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas introduced a Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board motion Thursday calling for Metro to create a fund for business losses caused by construction of the Crenshaw/LAX light rail line, and for the agency to devise plans for safety, local worker hiring and streetscape improvements along the route.
“The Crenshaw/LAX line project is moving fast ahead. As it is being built, we must also make sure the community doesn’t pay too high a price for its long-overdue rail service,” Ridley-Thomas said.
“The rail line is meant to cut traffic and improve safety, so I want Metro to come up with solid plans to make sure that happens. The line should also be built with workers from the community, and businesses disrupted by the construction need to be compensated,” he said.
Ridley-Thomas’ motion to create a “community benefits package” will be placed on the agenda of the board’s Aug. 4 meeting.
The motion calls for Metro’s chief executive officer to devise plans for:
* safety along the street-level segment of the line on Crenshaw Boulevard between 48thand 59th streets.
* Traffic mitigation on the same segment to reduce congestion from the current “f” rating to at least a “c” grade.
* A local worker hiring program to assure at least 30 percent of workers are from the local area and 10 percent are disadvantaged workers. He is also seeking a program to grant 30 percent of contracting to small business enterprises.
* A mitigation fund to assist local businesses impacted by the construction.
* A sidewalk, streetscape and local business improvement plan on Crenshaw Boulevard from Vernon Avenue to Stocker Street to enhance the corridor connecting Leimert Park to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Transit Station.
In May, the Metro board rejected a Ridley-Thomas proposal to put the rail line underground in the Park Mesa Heights community, between 48th and 59th streets along Crenshaw Boulevard, and also voted to approve a Leimert Park Village station. But officials did not authorize money to pay for the addition, leaving its future in question.
Ridley-Thomas said he is working to ensure the Leimert Park Village station gets built.
Meanwhile, his motion seeks to give the community the maximize benefits of the rail project.
“As we continue to press for a rail station in Leimert Park Village, the cultural center of African American Los Angeles, we must also make sure construction of the project promotes the economic growth that is the foundation of that rich cultural life,” Ridley-Thomas said.
“When the Leimert Park Village station is built, it must be surrounded by a thriving community of small businesses and safe and secure communities. With proper planning, Metro can ensure the Crenshaw/LAX light rail project is a win-win for all,” he said.
The supervisor noted the Crenshaw/LAX rail project is now on track for completion in 2016. The project had earlier been designated as a bus-way with a 2029 completion date. The 8.5 mile line will run from Exposition and Crenshaw boulevards to Los Angeles International Airport.
The Crenshaw Subway Coalition is gearing up for a possible showdown over additional funding for the Crenshaw-to-LAX light rail line, including a Leimert Park Village Station, but may have to await a May 23 decision by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board on just how bruising—or necessary—a showdown will be.
The Federal Transit Administration gave the approval for construction to begin on Metro’s $1.76 billion light rail line along Crenshaw Boulevard that will run from the Green Line near Los Angeles International Airport to the Expo Line.
The FTA approved the final environmental impact report for the 8.5-mile line. The report still needs approval by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which is expected to vote on the report at its Sept. 22 board meeting.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas recently introduced a Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board motion calling for Metro to create a fund for business losses caused by construction of the Crenshaw/LAX light rail line, and for the agency to devise plans for safety, local worker hiring and streetscape improvements along the route.
“The Crenshaw/LAX line project is moving fast ahead. As it is being built, we must also make sure the community doesn’t pay too high a price for its long-overdue rail service,” Ridley-Thomas said.
Before a standing-room-only audience of an estimated 600 community residents, business, civic and religious leaders, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board voted to locate a train station in Leimert Park Village, but only if it can be built within the existing $1.7 billion budget allocated for the Crenshaw/LAX line.
According to its own analysis, by realigning existing funds, Metro could cover the costs for two key features of the upcoming Crenshaw/LAX Light Rail Line—construction of a Leimert Park Village light rail station and a tunnel through Park Mesa Heights.
The funding study, requested by Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, examines ways to pay for a rail station at Leimert Park Village (estimated cost $131 million) and moving an 11-block section of the rail line along Crenshaw Boulevard below ground (estimated cost $269 million).
