Infrastructure projects always move slower than molasses, but a year-and-a-half after breaking ground, Metro's $2 billion Crenshaw/LAX Line is gradually beginning to take form.

Progress is most apparent at the intersection of Century and Aviation Boulevards, where the installation of falsework portends the arrival of a future elevated station served by both the Crenshaw and Green Lines.  The site was previously home to a 1960s-era freight rail viaduct which ferried trains above congested Century Boulevard.  The single-track bridge was demolished last summer in a three-day event dubbed "the Century Crunch."

Crenshaw and Green Line trains will eventually proceed north from Century Boulevard to a new intermodal transit facility at the intersection of Aviation Boulevard and 96th Street.  The $200 million station will offer connections to buses, a consolidated rental car facility, and - most importantly - an automated people mover linking directly to Los Angeles International Airport.

From there, the Crenshaw Line would travel north to complete its journey at a new subway platform beneath the at-grade Expo/Crenshaw Station.  A future transportation sales tax measure could fund a further extension of the line to Wilshire Boulevard, and possibly as far north as Hollywood Boulevard.

Construction of the current segment of the Crenshaw Line, running 8.5 miles between the Green and Expo Lines, is expected to finish in 2019.