Crenshaw/LAX TBM goes underground

15 March 2016


California - The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced on March 3 a significant milestone occurred on the USD 2.058bn Crenshaw/LAX light rail line. The TBM was lowered in pieces to the bottom of the future Expo/Crenshaw Station.

Excavation of the southbound tunnel is expected to begin in late April or early May, moving south under Crenshaw Boulevard from Exposition Boulevard toward Leimert Park. This stretch of track will include three underground stations: Expo/Crenshaw, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Leimert Park.

Walsh-Shea Corridor Constructors is comprised of Walsh, Shea, HNTB, Comstock and Arup, and is using a 21.5ft (6.5m) diameter TBM for the project's twin 1-mile (1.6km) tunnels. At Leimert Park the TBM will turn around to mine the northbound tunnel. In total the Crenshaw/LAX Line alignment is 8.5-miles (13.7km) long.