“Century Crunch”: Crews Complete Project Near LAX Ahead of Schedule

The "Century Crunch" project that forced the closure of a busy intersection near Los Angeles International Airport has finished ahead of schedule, Metro officials said Sunday night.

• Updates: Download the NBCLA app

A stretch of Century Boulevard was closed Friday at 9 p.m. to demolish a railroad bridge near the LAX-adjacent street's intersection with Aviation Boulevard. The demolition will allow Metro to build a light rail station for the Crenshaw/LAX line, which will connect the Metro Green and Expo lines.

"The street lanes have now been re-striped and all traffic signals are in full operation at this time," said Jose Ubaldo, a Metro spokesman.

The bridge came down at about 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning after crews pounded on it overnight. Traffic had been light around the area, Metro said, and traffic at LAX terminals was"flowing."

Metro crews then chipped the collapsed bridge into smaller parts to be removed. Officials had planned on reopening the road early Monday morning.

The closure required travelers -- many of whom usually exit the 405 Freeway at Century Boulevard -- to use detours.

Metro officials said about 92,800 motorists travel through the Century/Aviation intersection every day.

Metro officials deployed a new $1.2 million mobile command center during the weekend closure to help monitor traffic and better deploy resources. They hoped the high-tech command center, purchased in December with funding from the Department of Homeland Security, would provide officials with real-time  operational information, according to Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor Project  Director Charles Beauvoir. Command center personnel work out of a converted black motorcoach that houses computers, phones and other equipment.

"We have six cameras, but we can take streaming feeds from a tablet or something like that," said Metro's Scott Norwood.

• Traffic Alerts: NBCLA News App

Lanes were also reduced on Aviation Boulevard during the demolition.

Metro officials also noted that once the bridge is demolished, Century Boulevard will remain reduced by one lane in each direction for the next 16  months, leaving three lanes each way.