COMMENTARY-EXPO LINE - At next Thursday's MTA board meeting, board member and LA County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas will be offering a motion to address the two major remaining design issues for the proposed Crenshaw-LAX Light Rail, which is to scheduled to begin construction next year: undergrounding the entirety of the Crenshaw Blvd portion of the rail line, and adding a station at historic Leimert Park Village.
Of the 8.5-mile $1.6 billion line, which will add the Crenshaw District, Inglewood, Westchester and LAX to MTA's growing rail system, 2 of the 3 miles in the Crenshaw Blvd portion is proposed to be built underground in a subway. But community groups want the final mile, between 48th street to 59th street (known as the Park Mesa Heights segment), underground and the currently "optional" station at historic Leimert Park Village to be official. Ridley-Thomas' motion would require MTA staff to identify the estimated $339 million necessary to include both options into the project, and proposes as potential resources currently uncommitted funds from the recently passed Measure R sales tax for transportation.
This is the moment we've been working to get to for over 4 years. The Fix Expo/Crenshaw Subway Coalition has brought considerable attention to the rail safety, traffic and environmental disruption from street-level rail lines through their Fix Expo Campaign regarding the Downtown-to-Culver City Expo light rail line. Simultaneously, they've cautioned the board to avoid the mistakes of the Expo Line when building the Crenshaw Line.
“The rail safety issues on the Expo Line can also be seen on the Crenshaw Line," said Lester Hollins, a former MTA light rail operator and parent of a Crenshaw High School graduate.
"If built at street-level the train will pass right in front of View Park Prep and just a block away from Crenshaw High School. We've already seen numerous children hit crossing Crenshaw Blvd. Adding a 225-ton train traveling 40 mph to the mix is like pouring fuel on a fire."
The economic impacts of street-level construction and operation on Crenshaw Blvd, an internationally recognized African-American residential and business community, are just as severe.
"This is the only remaining corridor of African-American small businesses in Southern California, and we're barely making as it is," said Jackie Ryan, past president of the Leimert Park Village Merchants Association. "Does MTA really want to be known as the agency that put the nail in the coffin of one of America's most noteworthy black business communities?"
"In addition to 4 to 5 years of destructive street-level construction between 48th and 59th streets, the current MTA plan would require equally devastating cut-and-cover construction on Crenshaw Blvd from 59th to the Harbor Subdivision tracks at 67th Street," said Clint Simmons, a retired JPL professional engineer. "If Ridley-Thomas' motion is adopted, a bored tunnel would be used the entirety on Crenshaw Blvd, minimizing surface level disruption."
Bored tunnel construction involves the placement of a large mining machine in a shaft at a station area, and mining between 30-60 feet below the street. Surface level disruption is limited to the location of the stations.
Ridley-Thomas' motion would also appropriate the resources necessary to make the currently "optional" Leimert Park Village station official.
"The businesses of Leimert Park Village, current and future, need a station at Vernon to allow all Crenshaw-LAX Line riders to easily access our village which is an international tourist destination and a cultural gem to Southern California," said Ryan. "Building a Crenshaw-LAX Line that does not have a stop at Leimert Park Village is like painting the Mona Lisa without a face."
The choice before the MTA Board could not be more stark. The MTA board can vote to effectively kill the last remaining African-American commercial corridor in Southern California by voting down the motion, or they can provide for the Crenshaw community the greatest opportunity for economic revitalization perhaps ever.
(Damien Goodmon is Coordinator for the Fix Expo/Crenshaw Subway Coalition, a resident of Leimert Park and the Co-Chair of the Empowerment Congress West Area Neighborhood Development Council.) –cw
NEED TO KNOW
- The Citizens' Campaign to Fix the Expo Rail Line (Fix Expo Campaign) is a collaboration between over a dozen South LA community groups, neighborhood councils and homeowners association, civil rights leaders and rail safety advocates.
- The Crenshaw Subway Coalition will be hosting a community organizing meeting tonight, Wednesday April 20th from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the US Bank Community Room - 5760 Crenshaw Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90043.
- Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas' motion will be heard at MTA's Measure R Project Delivery Committee on Thursday, April 21st at noon - MTA Headquarters (1 Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012). The text of the full motion can be viewed online at:
- The full MTA board will consider the motion on Thursday, April 28th at 9 AM at the MTA headquarters. Hundreds of concerned residents, business owners and stakeholders are expected to attend to express their support.
- For more information and visuals about the Crenshaw-LAX Line go to: www.FixExpo.org
CityWatch
Vol 9 Issue 32
Pub: Apr 22, 2011
- COMMENTARY-EXPO
LINE
-
MTA
Vote Could Determine Fate of Last African-American Business
Community
-
Damien
Goodmon
-
- At next
Thursday's MTA board meeting, board member and LA County Supervisor
Mark Ridley-Thomas will be offering a motion to address the two
major remaining design issues for the proposed Crenshaw-LAX Light
Rail, which is to scheduled to begin construction next year:
undergrounding the entirety of the Crenshaw Blvd portion of the rail
line, and adding a station at historic Leimert Park Village.
-
-
Of the
8.5-mile $1.6 billion line, which will add the Crenshaw District,
Inglewood, Westchester and LAX to MTA's growing rail system, 2 of
the 3 miles in the Crenshaw Blvd portion is proposed to be built
underground in a subway. But community groups want the final
mile, between 48th
street to 59th
street (known as the Park Mesa Heights segment), underground and the
currently "optional" station at historic Leimert Park
Village to be official. Ridley-Thomas' motion would require
MTA staff to identify the estimated $339 million necessary to
include both options into the project, and proposes as potential
resources currently uncommitted funds from the recently passed
Measure R sales tax for transportation.
-
-
This is the
moment we've been working to get to for over 4 years. The Fix
Expo/Crenshaw Subway Coalition has brought considerable attention to
the rail safety, traffic and environmental disruption from
street-level rail lines through their Fix Expo Campaign regarding
the Downtown-to-Culver City Expo light rail line.
Simultaneously, they've cautioned the board to avoid the mistakes of
the Expo Line when building the Crenshaw Line.
-
-
“The rail
safety issues on the Expo Line can also be seen on the Crenshaw
Line," said Lester Hollins, a former MTA light rail operator
and parent of a Crenshaw High School graduate.
- "If
built at street-level the train will pass right in front of View
Park Prep and just a block away from Crenshaw High School.
We've already seen numerous children hit crossing Crenshaw Blvd.
Adding a 225-ton train traveling 40 mph to the mix is like pouring
fuel on a fire."
-
-
The economic
impacts of street-level construction and operation on Crenshaw Blvd,
an internationally recognized African-American residential and
business community, are just as severe.
-
-
"This is
the only remaining corridor of African-American small businesses in
Southern California, and we're barely making as it is," said
Jackie Ryan, past president of the Leimert Park Village Merchants
Association. "Does MTA really want to be known as the
agency that put the nail in the coffin of one of America's most
noteworthy black business communities?"
-
-
"In
addition to 4 to 5 years of destructive street-level construction
between 48th
and 59th
streets, the current MTA plan would require equally devastating
cut-and-cover construction on Crenshaw Blvd from 59th
to the Harbor Subdivision tracks at 67th
Street," said Clint Simmons, a retired JPL professional
engineer. "If Ridley-Thomas' motion is adopted, a bored
tunnel would be used the entirety on Crenshaw Blvd, minimizing
surface level disruption."
-
-
Bored tunnel
construction involves the placement of a large mining machine in a
shaft at a station area, and mining between 30-60 feet below the
street. Surface level disruption is limited to the location of
the stations.
-
-
Ridley-Thomas'
motion would also appropriate the resources necessary to make the
currently "optional" Leimert Park Village station
official.
-
-
"The
businesses of Leimert Park Village, current and future, need a
station at Vernon to allow all Crenshaw-LAX Line riders to easily
access our village which is an international tourist destination and
a cultural gem to Southern California," said Ryan.
"Building a Crenshaw-LAX Line that does not have a stop at
Leimert Park Village is like painting the Mona Lisa without a face."
-
The choice
before the MTA Board could not be more stark. The MTA board can vote
to effectively kill the last remaining African-American commercial
corridor in Southern California by voting down the motion, or they
can provide for the Crenshaw community the greatest opportunity for
economic revitalization perhaps ever. -
- (Damien Goodmon
is Coordinator for the Fix Expo/Crenshaw Subway Coalition, a
resident of Leimert Park and the Co-Chair of the Empowerment
Congress West Area Neighborhood Development Council.)
–cw
-
NEED TO
KNOW
- The
Citizens' Campaign to Fix the Expo Rail Line (Fix Expo Campaign) is
a collaboration between over a dozen South LA community groups,
neighborhood councils and homeowners association, civil rights
leaders and rail safety advocates.
- The
Crenshaw Subway Coalition will be hosting a community organizing
meeting tonight, Wednesday April 20th from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the US
Bank Community Room - 5760 Crenshaw Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90043.
- Supervisor
Mark Ridley-Thomas' motion will be heard at MTA's Measure R Project
Delivery Committee on Thursday, April 21st at noon - MTA
Headquarters (1 Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012). The
text of the full motion can be viewed online at:
- The full
MTA board will consider the motion on Thursday, April 28th
at 9 AM at the MTA headquarters. Hundreds of concerned
residents, business owners and stakeholders are expected to attend
to express their support.
- For more
information and visuals about the Crenshaw-LAX Line go to:
www.FixExpo.org
CityWatch
Vol
9 Issue 32
Pub:
Apr 22, 2011
