'Century Crunch' to shut major road to LAX

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The intersection of Century and Aviation boulevards will be shut down for 57 hours in late July as crews demolish an old unused bridge to clear the site for a Crenshaw/LAX light rail line station.

The demolition project, dubbed the "Century Crunch," will close the portion of Century Boulevard at 9 p.m. on Friday, July 25. The roadway will remain blocked until 6 a.m. on Monday, July, 28.

Metro officials are warning people expecting to travel to Los Angeles International Airport to plan ahead and avoid the area if at all possible. The closure means anyone traveling to and from the airport will be facing a serious traffic nightmare.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti urged Angelenos to plan ahead in a news conference held Monday.

"World class cities have world class airports, and world class cities have world class transit. And we all know Los Angeles is the greatest city on earth," Garcetti said. "So we are going to take down this bridge and we're planning ahead to make sure that disruption is minimized."

Motorists heading toward LAX between 9 p.m. July 25 and 6 a.m. July 28 will be diverted north of La Cienega Boulevard, west on Manchester Avenue, then south on Airport Boulevard, and then west on Century Boulevard.

Motorists leaving LAX will take the same detour in reverse. Lanes will also be reduced on Aviation Boulevard during the demolition project.

Gina Marie Lindsey, executive director of Los Angeles World Airports, says part of planning ahead means taking advantage of alternate routes. She also urged Angelenos to board FlyAway buses that serve Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, Van Nuys, Westwood, Santa Monica and the La Brea stop on the Expo Line.

Metro CEO Art Leahy encouraged people to take the Green Line.

"There is a convenient shuttle there from the station right into the airport," Leahy said.

Traffic will not return to normal once the bridge demolition is completed on July 28. Century Boulevard will remain reduced by one lane in each direction for the next 16 months.

The 8.5- mile, $2.058 billion Crenshaw/LAX line will connect the Metro Green and Expo lines, and is anticipated to open in 2019.

For more information on "Century Crunch," visit the Metro's website..

CNS contributed to this report.