Metro on Saturday joined Metro Board First Chair Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker, L.A. City Council Member Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Metro CEO Stephanie N. Wiggins and Crenshaw community leaders, supporters and residents to dedicate the new Hyde Park K Line Station in South Los Angeles. The K Line, also referred to as the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Project, is officially expected to open later this year, bringing new rail service to one of the city’s oldest communities.
Watch video of the entire event here.
The Hyde Park Station is located between the intersections of Crenshaw Boulevard and Slauson Avenue and 59th Street in the Hyde Park community. The station serves one of the most densely populated areas along the Crenshaw Corridor and Los Angeles, giving residents and others a new transportation option to the automobile.
The Hyde Park station is surrounded by several historic neighborhoods such as Leimert Park, Vermont Square, Manchester Square and Inglewood. The station is only a short walk from Crenshaw High School and several local mom-and-pop businesses.
Several housing developments by private developers are now underway in the area that will also benefit from the new station.
Metro is also supporting improved safety for pedestrians to access the new station. With funding through Metro’s transit-oriented development planning grant, the City of Los Angeles has completed a Crenshaw Boulevard Streetscape Plan that will enhance safety by improving the walking environment through the installation of wider sidewalks and crosswalks and curb extensions and median refuge islands, making it easier for Metro riders to access the Hyde Park station, whether they are walking, riding a bike, scooter or skateboard as part of their trip.
Hyde Park is one of eight new stations to the 8.5-mile K Line. Additional stations are: Expo/Crenshaw, Martin Luther King Jr., Leimert Park, Fairview Heights, Downtown Inglewood, Westchester/Veterans and Aviation/Century.
The $2-billion K Line will open with seven stations later this year. The Aviation/Century station is projected to open in Fall 2023. The Airport Metro Connector Project, which will provide a connection to Los Angeles International Airport, is scheduled to open in late 2024. The line will connect the existing Metro E Line (Expo) at Crenshaw and Exposition Boulevards to the C Line (Green) in El Segundo, providing a key transit alternative to driving the increasingly congested 10, 405 and 105 freeways.
Metro’s station dedication ceremony also celebrated the importance of the station, its art and nearby historic neighborhoods. Public officials recognized and featured early project champions, small businesses, local performing artists and the Hyde Park station commemorative pin contest winner, high school student Allysa Enriquez.
All K Line stations include artwork commissioned through the agency’s Metro Art program. Artists were selected through an open, competitive selection process following the recommendation of a panel of community-based arts professionals. The Hyde Park Station includes a series of porcelain enamel artworks by Carlson Hatton, titled Hyde Park Oasis.
For additional information about the project, please visit kline.metro.net.
For more information about Metro Art, please visit metro.net/art.
QUOTES
“Hyde Park is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the entire City of Los Angeles, so it’s fitting that Metro will soon be offering a new transit alternative to this important community,” said Glendale City Council Member and Metro Board Chair Ara J. Najarian. “I am excited to see the opportunities this new station and line will bring to Hyde Park by connecting people to local parks, schools, housing and other key destinations.”
“Metro and the City of Los Angeles are pulling out the stops to make our new Hyde Park K Line Station as safe and accessible as possible for our community,” said Metro Board First Vice Chair Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker. “Taken together, these improvements will vastly improve access to opportunity that Hyde Park has needed for decades.”
“Hyde Park is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Los Angeles. I am proud to represent this community and to know that its deep history and culture will be more accessible to residents across the county and even the world with the opening of the Crenshaw Line,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, representing the Second District.
“Once opened, the Hyde Park station will be an important node for our transit service in south L.A.,” said Stephanie N. Wiggins, CEO of Metro. “As we dedicate this station today, I want to thank all the community members who helped Metro design, build, and deliver a piece of community infrastructure that will be well-used and well-loved for generations.”
PHOTOS / VIDEO
All photos from the event are here.
When you need to pause the ceremony for K Line train testing… pic.twitter.com/6ZqD13jF08
— LA Metro (@metrolosangeles) August 6, 2022
Fabiola Marinero of nearby White Hall Arts Academy performed at the dedication.
A bird’s eye view of the K Line’s Hyde Park Station.