May 14, 2013 -- Major construction projects are paving the way for the Expo Light Rail line as it rolls closer to Santa Monica, and several construction projects will affect the flow of traffic this week, City officials said.

Colorado Avenue between 4th and 5th streets will shut down between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. through Thursday to pave the way for the construction of the Downtown train terminal and of the adjacent Colorado Esplanade.

The station, which will sit on the former Sears Automotive building site, will be the end of the line for the 15-mile light rail line extending from Downtown Los Angeles to Downtown Santa Monica, a 46-minute commute by rail

In addition to the nighttime closures, Colorado Avenue between 5th and 17th streets will see both westbound and eastbound lanes close during daytime hours. Travel lanes will be reduced during the non-peak daytime hours at 9th Street and Colorado and 10th Street and Colorado.

 Motorists can also expect westbound and eastbound delays and lane closures during non-peak travel hours from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Olympic Boulevard between 20th Street and Cloverfield Boulevard.

In addition, Colorado Avenue between 11th and Euclid Streets will be closed between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. through Thursday.

The first passengers on the Expo Light Rail line arrived in Culver City last April, completing Phase I of a $2.5 billion project to connect Downtown LA to Downtown Santa Monica that has been two decades in the making.

Last year, crews were hard at work paving the way for the train’s arrival by relocating 1,200 linear feet of sewer lines along the Colorado Avenue thruway, and officials were busy designing concepts for the Downtown terminal.

On Tuesday, the Santa Monica City Council will vote whether to approve the final design of the Colorado Esplanade, which staff revised after the loss of redevelopment (RDA) money halved its funding.

The plan -- which would turn Colorado Avenue west of the future Expo station into a one-way pedestrian and bicycle-friendly street -- was scaled back after the City’s commitment to fund the project dropped from $10 million to $5.7 million.

The proposed Esplanade will accommodate the maximum 400 passengers that are expected to get on and off the train every five minutes during peak hours, when the line reaches its final destination in Downtown Santa Monica by 2016.

In addition to the Downtown station, there will be stations at Olympic/26th Street (Bergamot Station), at Colorado Avenue/17th Street (Memorial Park/17th St. Station), and at 4th/Colorado (Downtown Station).

The Expo line to Santa Monica “is a significant and long-term public investment in transit, city-wide and regional mobility, and sustainability,” City officials said.

 “It will provide Santa Monica residents, employees, students and visitors with easier access to major destinations both locally and regionally,” officials said.

For more information about the Expo Line project, visit http://www.buildexpo.org/  or call (213) 922-EXPO (3976).