Crenshaw Boulevard


Crenshaw Boulevard is a principal north-south thoroughfare in Los Angeles, California, that runs through Crenshaw and other neighborhoods along a 23-mile route in the west-central part of the city.
The street extends between Wilshire Boulevard in Mid-Wilshire, Los Angeles, on the north and Rolling Hills, on the south. Crenshaw marks the eastern boundaries of Torrance, and Hawthorne and the western border of Gardena.
The commercial corridor in the Hyde Park neighborhood is known as "the heart of African American commerce in Los Angeles".

History

Crenshaw Boulevard was named after banker and Los Angeles real estate developer George Lafayette Crenshaw who also developed the affluent Lafayette Square.
The southern end of Crenshaw Boulevard was at Adams Street until 1916-1918, when the road was extended between Adams on the north and Slauson Avenue on the south. The extension saved three miles in travel over the nearest through road and five miles over the nearest paved road.
Until the 1950s,tracks for the 5 Line streetcar lineran in the median between Leimert Boulevard on the north close to Florence Ave on the south. Since the abandonment of the streetcars, the former railway median has been narrowed, the driving lanes improved and the street reconfigured for automobiles, buses and trucks.

Revitalization project

Many local residents were disappointed to see 71 mature street-line trees chopped down to make way for the Space Shuttle Endeavour to be moved from LAX to the California Science Center in nearby Exposition Park.
Additional trees were removed for the under construction Crenshaw/LAX Line, but various officials have promised an aesthetically cohesive new revitalized boulevard with more trees being planted than were removed. The project will also feature bike lanes, wider sidewalks, new Metro bus stops, street furniture with LED traffic lights and street lights.

Transportation

Metro Local

lines 40 and 210, Metro Rapid lines 710 and 740, and Torrance Transit line 10 serve Crenshaw Boulevard; Metro lines 210 and 710 run through the majority of Crenshaw Boulevard to Artesia Boulevard, Metro lines 40 and 740 from Crenshaw District to Hyde Park, and Torrance Transit line 10 south of Artesia Boulevard. The Metro C Line serves the Crenshaw station on Crenshaw Boulevard underneath Interstate 105, while the Metro E Line runs along Exposition Blvd and serves Expo/Crenshaw station at the intersection with Exposition Boulevard.
In the Crenshaw district, Crenshaw Boulevard and Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza are served primarily by LADOT trolleys, buses and soon a light rail subway line with four Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus lines that are:
Crenshaw Boulevard is also briefly served in the Crenshaw district by the following LACMTA lines:

LADOT

Crenshaw Boulevard is also briefly served in the LADOT by the following LADOT Dash lines:

Transit expansion

Crenshaw/LAX Line

The Crenshaw/LAX Line is currently under construction. It will transport passengers from the existing Expo/Crenshaw station to the planned Aviation/96th Street station and Metro Green Line stations. It is projected to be completed in mid 2020.

Notable landmarks