Beginning Monday, Feb. 4, the roadway buses operate on in the Artesia Blue Line Station will be reconstructed and a water line under the roadway will be replaced. The project will be completed in seven phases, and is expected to take approximately 90 days to complete, weather permitting.

The station will remain open to the public throughout the duration of construction. However, the work will involve moving bus stops at times, as different portions of the roadway will be repaved during the various phases of the project.

In addition, the existing crosswalk between the parking lot and the station/bus stops will be temporarily relocated during construction. Most of the construction work will be done on weekdays, during the daylight hours, with occasional night and weekend work as needed. Phase 5 and 6 of this project will take place on weekends. The work done in each of the construction phases is described below, after the jump.

A task force for this project has been established to manage the project. This task force is comprised of representatives from all of the bus operators utilizing the station, and various Metro department representatives, including service planning, safety, security, operations, facilities, marketing, community relations, division managers, and others.

A comprehensive customer notification campaign has been developed, which includes advance notification to patrons prior to each phase of the project with impacts to them. The notification plan includes take ones that will be distributed on all buses serving the Artesia Station (Metro, Long Beach Transit, Torrance Transit, Cal State Dominguez Hills Shuttle) and Metro Blue and Green Line trains. Flyers will be placed on windshields in the Artesia Blue Line parking lot prior to the start of the project, informing customers about the project and the fact that cars will not be allowed beyond the first driveway in the station. A press release on the project is being distributed to the appropriate media. Signage will be placed throughout the station, with information about boarding locations for the various phases of the project. Metro Ambassadors will also be available to assist customers at the station during construction.

Listed below are details about each phase of the project.

Phase 1 – Customers will not see any major changes to bus stops or the crosswalk at the station. However, all cars coming into the station will need to turn into the first driveway to enter the parking lot – only buses will be allowed to drive beyond the first driveway – until the end of the project. Phase 1 will also include the construction of a temporary crosswalk and some temporary sidewalk areas. This phase is expected to take approximately one week to complete.

Phase 2 – The existing crosswalk will be relocated approximately 20 feet north, which will remain as the crosswalk between the parking lot and station entrance/bus stops for the duration of the project. The roadway area near the rear bus stops (furthest away from the station entrance) will be repaved, and the bus stops in that area will be temporarily moved up to the front bus bay (nearest the station entrance). In addition, all passengers will be let off the bus on the sidewalk where the kiss-n-ride stop is now (close to the parking lot area). Passengers will be discharged at this area for the entire project.

Phase 3 – The roadway area near the front bus bay (nearest the station entrance) will be repaved, and the bus stops in that area will be temporarily moved back to the four rear bus bays (furthest away from the station entrance)

Phase 4 – Repavement will be primarily completed in all of the bus bays (boarding areas) of the station, and buses will pick up passengers at the same bus stops they used before the project started. However, passengers will continue to be let off the bus in the area that is currently used as a kiss-n-ride stop, on the parking lot side, until all seven phases are completed.

Phases 5 and 6 – Construction will take place in the area currently reserved as a bus layover area, which should not impact customer’s boarding locations.

Phase 7 – In this final phase of the project, part of the kiss-n-ride area and center roadways will be under construction. During this phase all passenger will board and depart their buses at the rear bus stops (furthest away from the station entrance).

Upon completion of the project, the temporary crosswalk will be removed and the existing crosswalk will be reopened. All customers will board and get off their buses at the same locations used prior to construction activities.

Customers using the Artesia Station should be aware that there will be increased traffic congestion during this construction project that may result in traffic delays which may impact bus schedules. If customers are interested in seeking alternative stations to the Artesia Metro Blue Line Station, they might consider the following stations: 103rd St/Watts Towers (63 spaces), Willowbrook (335 spaces), Del Amo (357 spaces), Wardlow (115 spaces) or Willow (899 spaces).