Funding Approved For Construction Of $120M Light Rail Station In Leimert Park

LEIMERT PARK (CBSLA.com) — Community organizers celebrated Friday after the construction of a new, underground light rail station in Leimert Park was approved.

The LA Metro board approved the funding for the station, which will be built along the 8.5-mile Crenshaw Boulevard to LAX light rail line. It is scheduled for completion in 2018.

Community leaders in Leimert Park, which is the cultural center of L.A.'s African American population, have been trying to make the station happen for years.

"When we all get to heaven, we're going to shout that we have a stop at Leimert Park," Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said.

The project will be funded with $40 million from the city of Los Angeles's Measure R share and $80 million from Metro.