Harbor Freeway station explained

Style:Los Angeles Metro Rail
Harbor Fwy
Symbol Location:losangeles
Symbol:C
Symbol2:J
Address:11500 South Figueroa Street
Borough:Los Angeles, California
Coordinates:33.9287°N -118.2808°W
Owned:California Department of Transportation
Operator:Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Platform:1 island platform (C Line)
1 island platform (J Line)
Tracks:2 freeway median, elevated (C Line)
Connections:See service section
Structure:Freeway median
Elevated (C Line)
At-grade (J Line)
Parking:253 spaces[1]
Bicycle:Racks
Accessible:Yes
Opened: (C Line)
(Harbor Transitway)[2]
Former:Harbor Freeway/I-105[3]
Other Services Collapsible:yes
Other Services Header:Former services
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Zoom:14

Harbor Freeway station (formerly Harbor Freeway/I-105 station) is a transport hub located on the Harbor Transitway, within the Judge Harry Pregerson Interchange of Interstate 105 and Interstate 110 near Figueroa Street in the neighborhood of South Los Angeles. The station is served by the light rail C Line, the bus rapid transit J Line and other bus services. The station is owned by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro).

Service

Station layout

The station has three levels: the upper level provides access to the C Line, the middle level has the connections to local bus services and the 253 space park and ride lot, and the lower level provides access to the J Line and other express buses operating on the Harbor Transitway. It is located near the Athens district of Los Angeles.[4]

Upper
Level
Westbound← toward
Eastbound toward →
valign=topGvalign=topStreet level
mezzanine
valign=topEntrance/Exit, faregates, ticket machines, park and ride lot
Lower
Level
Southbound toward or San Pedro →
Northbound← toward

Other Harbor Transitway services

These routes stop at the same boarding platforms of the Metro J Line at the freeway level:[5]

Connections

These non-Harbor Transitway routes stop on the west side of Figueroa Street:

Freeway noise issues

Due to the upper platform's location within a freeway medium and in the interchange of two of Los Angeles' busiest freeways, it has received criticism for subjecting C-train riders to significant amounts of highway traffic noise and has been cited as a notable example of hostile transit infrastructure.[6]

History

The site is approximately the former Forest (later South Los Angeles) station on the San Pedro via Gardena Line of the Pacific Electric. It was also the southern terminus of the Los Angeles Railway 7 Line, allowing interchanges between the two systems. Pacific Electric service ended in 1940, while the 7 Line ran until 1955.

Incident

On February 22, 2012, a drunk driver on the Harbor Freeway mistakenly entered the bus-only station area of the Harbor Freeway station. The driver, 51-year-old Stephen L. Lubin of Sun Valley, was traveling in his 2009 Honda Fit (over the freeway's posted speed limit) as he entered the station and encountered a bus stopped at the platform. Lubin swerved to avoid hitting the bus and drove onto the station platform where he hit seven people, critically injuring six, before slamming into a pole on the platform.[7]

After the crash, Metro's CEO Art Leahy asked Metro's safety committee staff to review the layout of busway stations and safety signage on the roadways leading into the station areas.[8] As a result of that investigation, Metro added concrete-filled metal bollards to all stations on the Harbor Transitway and the El Monte Busway to prevent vehicles from entering the platform and additional markings were added on roadways leading into stations.[9]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Metro Parking Lots by Line . December 24, 2020 . Metro.net . . August 10, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200810121559/https://www.metro.net/riding/parking/lotsbyline/ . live .
  2. News: Radcliffe . Jim . June 27, 1996 . Harbor Transitway opens, reducing congestion – Impact felt during evening commute . A3 . Daily Breeze.
  3. Web site: Allah . Salaam . March 12, 2005 . Image showing Harbor Freeway/I-105 sign . November 13, 2021 . www.nycsubway.org . November 13, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211113040132/https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?86095 . live .
  4. Web site: Green Line station information . September 25, 2010 . October 21, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101021184707/http://www.metro.net/around/rail/green-line/ . live .
  5. Web site: February 20, 2022 . C Line Timetable – Connections section . May 15, 2022 . Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority . 2 . March 18, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220318182813/https://cdn.beta.metro.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/27171934/803_TT_02-20-22.pdf . live .
  6. Web site: 2018-08-06 . Metro's Mid-Freeway Transit Stations Are Hellishly Loud . 2023-04-30 . Streetsblog Los Angeles . en-US.
  7. News: William-Ross . Lindsay . February 24, 2012 . Driver Who Plowed Into Crowded Bus Platform Failed His Sobriety Test . en-US . LAist . November 25, 2020 .
  8. News: February 23, 2012 . Probe ordered into crash that injured 7 at 110 Freeway bus stop . en-US . . November 25, 2020 . February 8, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220208095542/https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/02/freeway-bus-stop-accident.html . live .
  9. Web site: April 20, 2012 . Harbor Freeway Metro Silver Line Station platform improvements .