Harbor Gateway Transit Center

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Harbor Gateway Transit Center
LACMTA Square J Line.svg  
Harbor Gateway Transit Center 2023 June 01.jpg
Harbor Gateway Transit Center platform
General information
Location731 West 182nd Street
Gardena, California
Coordinates 33°52′11″N118°17′16″W / 33.86973°N 118.28790°W / 33.86973; -118.28790
Operated by Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Line(s)See Services section
Platforms1 island platform
Bus stands12
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
Parking980 spaces [1]
Bicycle facilities Lockers [2]
AccessibleYes
History
Previous namesArtesia Transit Center
Services
Preceding station LAMetroLogo.svg Metro Busway Following station
Rosecrans
toward El Monte
J Line Carson
(with interim stops)
toward San Pedro
Location
Harbor Gateway Transit Center

Harbor Gateway Transit Center, formerly Artesia Transit Center, is a large bus station at the southern end of the Harbor Transitway that serves as a transport hub (known locally as a transit center) for the South Bay region of Los Angeles County including the Harbor Gateway neighborhood of Los Angeles and cities of Carson, Gardena, and Torrance. The station consists of one large island platform with 12 bus bays and a 980 space park and ride parking lot located in the southwest corner of Interstate 110 (Harbor Freeway) and California State Route 91 (Gardena Freeway).

Contents

The station is one of the stops on J Line, a bus rapid transit route which runs between El Monte, Downtown Los Angeles and San Pedro as part of the Metro Busway system. J Line buses serve the station twenty-four hours a day; the headway between buses is about four minutes during peak periods, with less frequent service at other times.

The Harbor Transitway also serves as a hub for Metro Local, Metro Express, GTrans, and Torrance Transit buses. Three game-day shuttle services also serve the station: the Dodger Stadium Express, the SoFi Stadium Shuttle (via GTrans) and Galaxy Express (to Dignity Health Sports Park).

The station, originally called the Artesia Transit Center, was built between 1989 and 1996 as part of the Harbor Transitway project and opened to passengers on August 1, 1996.

Five 450-kW DC fast chargers are to be installed at the station to support electrification of the J Line. These will use the overhead inverted pantograph style connector under SAE standard J3105. [3]

History

The transit center, originally named the Artesia Transit Center, was built as the southern terminus of the Harbor Transitway, a 10.3-mile (16.6 km) shared-use express bus corridor and high-occupancy vehicle lanes (later converted to high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes) running in the median of Interstate 110 (Harbor Freeway) north to Downtown Los Angeles. [4] : 2 

After about 20 years of planning and construction, [4] : i  the Harbor Transitway was opened on June 26, 1996, at a cost of $498 million. [5] Because of uncertainty on the opening date, buses would not start using the facility until a few weeks later on August 1, 1996. [5] The project was built by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the transit facilities would be operated by Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) after completion.

Caltrans envisioned that the transit center and transitway would offer a similar function to the El Monte Station located at the end of the El Monte Busway, an older but operationally similar facility east of Downtown Los Angeles, offering a large parking lot where commuters would park their cars and ride buses to downtown and serving as a hub in a hub-and-spoke system for the South Bay where riders can transfer between buses. In 1993, Metro staff recommended the creation of a "dual hub" system with a trunk route that served both the Harbor Transitway and the older El Monte Busway. [4] : 5  Ultimately, the Metro Board of Directors decided to largely continue to running bus routes as they had before. [5]

Ridership on the Harbor Transitway was radically lower than expected: Caltrans had projected that 65,200 passengers would travel along the Harbor Transitway each day, but after 10 years, ridership fell far below those predictions, with the route seeing just 3,000 passengers per weekday in 2004. [6] That amount is low compared to the El Monte Busway, which had 32,000 boardings a day in November 2000. [6]

On November 18, 2000, a 9.3-mile (15.0 km) section of the Harbor Freeway south of State Route 91 was widened, and new bus new stations were added on the shoulder, allowing some bus routes to be extended south to San Pedro. [6]

Metro returned to its plan for a dual-hub route in 2009, proposing a new bus rapid transit service called the Silver Line (now J Line) utilizing both the Harbor Transitway and the El Monte Busway. The new higher frequency service would be funded by converting both corridors into high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, to be branded as the Metro ExpressLanes. The Silver Line began operations on December 13, 2009, with Metro planning to refurbish the aging stations along both corridors over the coming years, including the Artesia Transit Center. As part of the change, several Metro routes would now terminate at the transit center. [7]

Platform as message signs were being installed Harbor Gateway Transit Center & Metro Silver Line- Picture 12.jpg
Platform as message signs were being installed

Improvements to the transit center started in December 2010 with the installation of bike lockers, adding improved lighting, and the repurposing of an existing building as a Sheriff's substation. [7] In October 2011, the Metro board voted to rename the Artesia Transit Center to the Harbor Gateway Transit Center. [8] Landscaping was improved in October 2012, a self-cleaning public toilet was opened in February 2013, and monitors with bus departure information were activated in March 2013. [9] Signage improvements were installed in phases starting in 2013, adding new station name signs, decals on walls, wayfinding signs, new entry pylons, and an 80-foot monument pylon visible from the Harbor Freeway. [9] A total of four Transit Access Pass (TAP) card ticket vending machines were added at the transit center by early 2017 to support all-door boarding on the J Line. [10] Pre-payment of fares and all-door boarding reduces the time buses need to remain stopped at stations. [11]

Layout

Harbor Gateway Transit Center consists of one large island platform with 12 bus bays and a 980 space park and ride parking lot located in the southwest corner of Interstate 110 (Harbor Freeway) and California State Route 91 (Gardena Freeway). The transit center is connected to the Harbor Transitway by a flyover ramp. [4] : 3  [1] The station is located near the Harbor Gateway neighborhood of Los Angeles and cities of Carson, Gardena, and Torrance. [12]

The platform can be accessed by pedestrians from West 182nd Street. The parking lot can be accessed from West 182nd Street or Vermont Avenue near Artesia Boulevard.

The station also has a Sheriff's substation, a self-cleaning public toilet, and TAP card vending machines.

Paraje by Alison Saar at Harbor Gateway Transit Center Harbor Gateway Transit Center 02.JPG
Paraje by Alison Saar at Harbor Gateway Transit Center

The Harbor Gateway Transit Center also houses a free-standing art installation as part of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's art program that commissions artists to integrate artworks into its stations for the enjoyment of transit customers. [13] Located on the west side of the platform, Alison Saar's Paraje is a 10-foot-high (3.0 m) by 10-foot-wide (3.0 m) cast stainless steel sculpture depicts a willow tree on the west side and on the east side a willow spirit emerges mysteriously from the tree. [14] The artwork was installed on January 28, 2013. The name Paraje is Spanish for a resting place between two destinations and the artwork was inspired by the nearby Gardena Willows Wetlands Preserve. [15]

Services

J Line (formerly Silver Line) bus boarding Artesia Transit Center & Metro Silver Line- Picture 4.JPG
J Line (formerly Silver Line) bus boarding

Harbor Gateway Transit Center is used by the Metro J Line bus rapid transit route which runs between the El Monte Station in El Monte, Downtown Los Angeles and the Harbor Gateway Transit Center, with select trips continuing onto San Pedro. [16] The J Line is part of the Metro Busway system. [17]

J Line buses run 24 hours a day between El Monte Station, Downtown Los Angeles, and the Harbor Gateway Transit Center as route 910, with some trips continuing to San Pedro between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. and signed as Route 950. On weekdays, buses operate every four to eight minutes during peak hours, with longer headways of 10 minutes in the midday, 20 minutes during evenings, 40 minutes during nights, and every hour overnight. On weekends, buses arrive every 15 minutes most of the day, with longer headways of 20 minutes during evenings, 40 minutes during nights, and every hour overnight. [18]

Harbor Gateway Transit Center is also served by several local bus routes: Los Angeles Metro Bus route 205 that runs between Willowbrook and San Pedro, 246 that runs to San Pedro, 344 that runs to Rancho Palos Verdes; GTrans route 2 that runs between West Athens and Harbor City neighborhood of Los Angeles and route 4 to Lawndale; and Torrance Transit route 1 that runs between Torrance and South Los Angeles, 4X that runs between Torrance and Downtown Los Angeles, 6 that runs between Torrance and Compton, and 13 that runs between Redondo Beach and Compton. [17] [16]

The station is also served by the Dodger Stadium Express shuttle that operates on game days during baseball season and the Galaxy Express shuttle to Dignity Health Sports Park that operates on game days during soccer season. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority</span> Public transport agency in Los Angeles County, California, United States

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), branded as Metro, is the county agency that plans, operates, and coordinates funding for most of the public transportation system in Los Angeles County, California, the most populated county in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Civic Center/Grand Park station</span> Los Angeles Metro Rail station

Civic Center/Grand Park station is an underground rapid transit station on the B Line and D Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. The station also has street level stops for the J Line of the Los Angeles Metro Busway system. The station is located under Hill Street at its intersection with 1st Street. It is located in the Civic Center neighborhood of Los Angeles, after which the station is named, alongside the nearby Grand Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harbor Gateway, Los Angeles</span> Neighborhood of Los Angeles in California, United States

The Harbor Gateway is a 5.14-square-mile residential and industrial area (13.3 km2) in the South Bay and Los Angeles Harbor Region, in the southern part of the city. The neighborhood is narrow and long, running along a north-south axis. Its unusual shape has given it the alternative name of "the Shoestring Strip". The northern limit of the neighborhood is Imperial Highway, a city street just north of I-105.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harbor Transitway</span> Roadway in Interstate Highway 110 in Los Angeles County, California

The Harbor Transitway is a 10.3-mile (16.6 km) shared-use express bus corridor and high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes running in the median of Interstate 110 between Downtown Los Angeles and the Harbor Gateway Transit Center in Gardena, California. Buses also make intermediate stops at 37th Street/USC, Slauson, Manchester, Harbor Freeway, and Rosecrans stations. The facility opened for two-person carpools on June 26, 1996, for buses on August 1, 1996 and was converted to HOT lanes as part of the Metro ExpressLanes project on November 10, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vermont Avenue</span> Major thoroughfare in Los Angeles, CA

Vermont Avenue is one of the longest running north–south streets in City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County, California. With a length of 23.3 miles (37.5 km), is the third longest of the north–south thoroughfares in the region. For most of its length between its southern end in San Pedro and south of Downtown Los Angeles, it runs parallel to the west of the Harbor Freeway (I-110).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Monte Busway</span> Los Angeles Metro Busway

The El Monte Busway is a 12-mile (19 km) shared-use express bus corridor (busway) and high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes running along Interstate 10 between Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles and Interstate 605 or El Monte Station in El Monte, California. Buses also make intermediate stops at Cal State LA station and Los Angeles General Medical Center station. The busway opened in January 1973 to buses only, three-person carpools were allowed to enter in 1976, and the facility was converted to HOT lanes as part of the Metro ExpressLanes project on February 22, 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harbor Freeway station</span> Light rail and bus rapid transit station in Los Angeles, California

Harbor Freeway 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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">37th Street/USC station</span> Bus rapid transit station in Los Angeles, California

37th Street/USC station is a busway station located in Los Angeles, California. It is situated between the LATTC/Ortho Institute and Slauson stations on the J Line, a bus rapid transit route which runs between El Monte, Downtown Los Angeles and San Pedro as part of the Metro Busway system. The station consists of two side platforms in the center of Interstate 110 above 37th Street, adjacent to the University of Southern California campus. The station serves the University Park, Exposition Park and Historic South Central neighborhoods of Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slauson station (J Line)</span> Bus rapid transit station in Los Angeles, California

Slauson station is a busway station located in Los Angeles, California. It is situated between the 37th Street/USC and Manchester stations on the J Line, a bus rapid transit route which runs between El Monte, Downtown Los Angeles and San Pedro as part of the Metro Busway system. The station consists of two side platforms in the center of Interstate 110 above Slauson Avenue. The station serves the Vermont-Slauson, South Park and Florence neighborhoods of Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manchester station (Los Angeles Metro)</span> Bus rapid transit station in Los Angeles, California

Manchester station is a busway station located in Los Angeles, California. It is situated between the Slauson and Harbor Freeway stations on the J Line, a bus rapid transit route which runs between El Monte, Downtown Los Angeles and San Pedro as part of the Los Angeles Metro Busway system. The station consists of two side platforms in the center of Interstate 110 above Manchester Avenue. The station serves the Vermont Knolls, Vermont Vista, Florence, and Broadway-Manchester neighborhoods of Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosecrans station</span> Bus rapid transit station in Los Angeles, California

Rosecrans station is a busway station located in Los Angeles, California. It is situated between the Harbor Freeway station and the Harbor Gateway Transit Center on the J Line, a bus rapid transit route which runs between El Monte, Downtown Los Angeles and San Pedro as part of the Metro Busway system. The station consists of two side platforms in the center of Interstate 110 under Rosecrans Avenue. The station serves the Harbor Gateway neighborhoods of Los Angeles.

Carson station is a below grade busway station on the J Line of the Los Angeles Metro Busway system. The station is located on the shoulder of Interstate 110 at its intersection with Carson Street, after which the station is named, in Carson and West Carson, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Monte Station</span> Transit center in Los Angeles, California

El Monte Station is a large regional bus station in the city of El Monte, California, United States, adjacent to Interstate 10, serving the Metro J Line, Foothill Transit, Greyhound Lines, and El Monte Transit. It is the Metro J Line's eastern terminus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J Line (Los Angeles Metro)</span> Bus rapid transit line

The J Line is a 38-mile (61.2 km) bus rapid transit line that runs between El Monte, Downtown Los Angeles and the Harbor Gateway, with some trips continuing to San Pedro. It is one of the two lines in the Metro Busway system operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro).

This article discusses the history of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the regional transportation planning agency for Los Angeles County, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles Metro Busway</span> Bus rapid transit system in Los Angeles County, California

Metro Busway is a system of bus rapid transit (BRT) routes that operate primarily along exclusive or semi-exclusive roadways known locally as a busway or transitway. There are currently two lines serving 29 stations in the system, the G Line in the San Fernando Valley, and the J Line between El Monte, Downtown Los Angeles and Gardena, with some trips continuing to San Pedro. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) operates the system.

The Metro ExpressLanes project is a transport project in Los Angeles County, California that debuted in 2012 to "improve traffic flow and provide enhanced travel options on I-10 and I-110 in Los Angeles County". It includes a range of infrastructure developments on the Harbor Transitway and the El Monte Busway. The existing high-occupancy lanes on these transitways were converted to high-occupancy toll lanes. Associated works included a major upgrade to the El Monte bus station, expansion of Metrolink's Pomona–North station, the creation of a new transit station at Union Station, and increased park and ride capacity and bike lockers at many transit stations. In addition, new vanpool vehicles and buses will be purchased. The project was delivered by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the California Department of Transportation, and others. The budget was $290 million and construction, which began in 2011, was completed in February 2013. Some transit improvements for the Metro J Line are still being worked on.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patsaouras Transit Plaza</span> Bus station in Los Angeles Union Station

Patsaouras Transit Plaza is a bus station on the east side of Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles, near the El Monte Busway. It was originally named the Gateway Transit Plaza but was renamed after Nick Patsaouras, former Rapid Transit District board member who was an advocate for public transportation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harbor Beacon Park & Ride</span> Park and Ride Lot in San Pedro, California

Harbor Beacon Park & Ride is a park and ride lot located in San Pedro, California, served by the Metro J Line, a bus rapid transit route. The parking lot has 180 spaces and is located at the end of Interstate 110.

References

  1. 1 2 "Metro Parking Lots by Line". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Secure Bike Parking on Metro" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  3. ↑ "J Line Charging Infrastructure - Operations, Safety, and Customer Experience Comittee - Metro Board Meeting January 18 2024".
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Dual Hub High Occupancy Vehicle Transitway Report" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Scheduling and Operations Planning Staff. August 1993.
  5. 1 2 3 Radcliffe, Jim (June 27, 1996). "Harbor Transitway opens, reducing congestion – Impact felt during evening commute". Daily Breeze . p. A3 – via NewsBank.
  6. 1 2 3 Shuit, Douglas P. (November 20, 2000). "Harbor Transitway Has Everything but Riders". Los Angeles Times.
  7. 1 2 "Silver Line Enhancements". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  8. ↑ Waldie, D. J. (October 28, 2011). "What's in a Metro Station Name?". KCET SoCal Focus . Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  9. 1 2 "Report on Harbor Gateway Transit Center Improvements, South Bay Service Council" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. March 8, 2013. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Universal Fare System Contract Modification". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. April 1, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  11. ↑ "All-Door Boarding". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority . Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  12. ↑ "South L.A." Mapping L.A. Los Angeles Times . Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  13. ↑ "Art Program Overview" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2018.
  14. ↑ "New Metro Silver Line art installed at Harbor Gateway Transit Center". January 28, 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  15. ↑ Zeller, Heidi (January 17, 2013). "New sculpture to be installed at Artesia Transit Center". The Source. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  16. 1 2 J Line map and timetable (PDF) (Map). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 13, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  17. 1 2 3 Bus and Rail System map (PDF) (Map). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. June 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Metro J Line schedule". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 10, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.

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