The Century Crunch bridge demolition continued on schedule today, with a reopening time dependent on whether the falling bridge has damaged pavement on Century Boulevard east of Los Angeles International Airport.
Workers this morning had completed carting off hundreds of tons of bridge debris, and were demolishing abutments of the old railroad grade separation above Century and just west of Aviation Boulevard, Metro spokesman Jose Ubaldo said.
After that comes the removal of piles of dirt and steel plates that had been placed on Century to protect the pavement and the buried utilities below.
“Once they get a look at that, they will see if they need to repair pavement,” Ubaldo said. “If it’s OK, then they have to wash the road, put in the K-rail, and restripe it.”
The target time for reopening the road remains 6 a.m. Monday, but contractors said that was a worst case scenario accounting for major street repairs that may not be necessary, Ubaldo said.
Two lanes will be taken away for 16 months, as contractors build a new elevated passenger station and twin set of tracks crossing over Century Boulevard, which is one of three major road approaches to the airport.
Workers began tearing out the old Santa Fe railroad flyover shortly after 10 p.m. Friday to make way for a new light rail station for the Crenshaw/LAX line, which will connect the Metro Green and Expo lines.
When completed in 2019, the 8.5-mile, $2.058 billion Crenshaw/LAX line will run from the Metro Expo Line, at Exposition and Crenshaw boulevards, to the Green Line station near the airport. LAX officials hope to build a “people mover” at the new 96th Street Station, to connect the light rail line to LAX terminals.
