|
 |
April 6, 2001 |
|
MTA RELEASES DRAFT
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY ON Versión
en español
Release of the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (Draft EIS/EIR)
for the Mid-City/Westside Transit Corridor Studies begins a comment period
that will extend through June 15, 2001, during which the MTA will hold
public hearings on the report and accept written comments. Three transit
alternatives are evaluated in the Draft EIS/EIR: 1) Wilshire Boulevard
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
BRT buses would build
on the success of the newly implemented Metro Rapid Bus System whose
distinctive red and white buses operate on the Wilshire/Whittier and
Ventura Boulevard corridors. Metro Rapid has cut the
travel time of commuters by as much as 25 percent and increased bus
ridership by 26 percent on the Wilshire/Whittier corridor and by 25
percent on the Ventura Boulevard corridor in just seven months of service.
Unlike the Metro Rapid System, however, BRT buses would operate in
dedicated bus lanes, not mixed flow lanes, resulting in even greater time
savings. An average trip on
local bus service operating on Wilshire Boulevard takes up to 70 minutes.
Average travel time on the Wilshire BRT over the same distance would be 48
to 50 minutes. The BRT would operate
during peak periods only, or on a 24-hours-per-day basis, and buses would
operate either in the curb lane or center lane of Wilshire Boulevard. The
BRT also would feature enhanced stations with improved lighting, ticket
vending and security features. Existing landscaped
medians could be preserved and expanded into areas where they presently do
not exist. Parking facilities would be provided off-street to replace any
on-street parking that would be displaced. Long distance
automobile travel on Wilshire Boulevard would be discouraged and rerouted
to other parallel arterial streets in favor of a transit system that would
carry four to five times the number of passengers on Wilshire Boulevard in
the same traffic lane. Traffic signal improvements at more than 500
intersections throughout the Westside would be implemented as part of the
project to ease the flow of traffic diverted from Wilshire Boulevard. The MTA Board has
identified the Wilshire Boulevard Bus Rapid Transit alternative as having
priority over the Exposition right-of-way alternatives. The estimated cost
of the project is between $354 million and $363 million.
A total of 34 stations
would be provided on both routes, including 14 on Wilshire BRT and 20
stations on Exposition BRT. The Exposition BRT
project would operate on a route primarily along the Exposition
right-of-way from downtown Los Angeles to downtown Santa Monica with a
detour off the right-of-way at Venice and Robertson Boulevards in the
Cheviot Hills segment. The BRT then would follow Venice Boulevard west and
Sepulveda Boulevard north before rejoining the right-of-way. The supplemental cost
of the Exposition BRT is $291 million. Also under
consideration is a combined alternative which would feature a shorter
8.8-mile Exposition BRT project which would extend from downtown Los
Angeles only to Venice/Washington Station in Culver City. West of
Venice/Washington Station, buses would operate in mixed traffic
conditions, instead of operating in a dedicated busway. The supplemental
cost of this truncated Exposition BRT alternative would be $129 million.
A total of 31 stations
would be provided on both routes, including 14 stations on Wilshire BRT
and 17 stations on Exposition LRT. The Exposition LRT
project would operate along the MTA-owned Exposition railroad right-of-way
from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica. The line would start at the 7th
St./Metro Center Metro Blue Line station at 7th/Flower in
downtown Los Angeles and proceed south along the existing Metro Blue Line
tracks to Washington Boulevard. At Washington Boulevard
the line would branch off, proceeding south to the Exposition right-of-way
near USC/Exposition Park. At that point, trains would operate along the
Exposition right-of-way, with the exception of the section between
Venice/Robertson and Sepulveda Boulevard where the line would detour off
the right-of-way as in the Exposition right-of-way BRT alternative. The estimated
supplemental cost of the Exposition LRT is $555 million. Also under
consideration is a combined alternative which would feature a shorter
9.8-mile Exposition LRT project which would extend from downtown Los
Angeles only to Venice/Washington Station in Culver City. Light rail
trains would terminate approximately midway between downtown Los Angeles
and Santa Monica and feeder bus service would operate in mixed traffic
conditions west of Venice/Washington Station. The supplemental cost of
this truncated Exposition LRT alternative would be $253 million. The Exposition
right-of-way was purchased by the MTA in 1990 and currently is not in use.
As a result, neither the BRT nor the LRT alternative would displace any
traffic lanes. No bus line operates
continuous service parallel to the Exposition right-of-way, however, Santa
Monica Big Blue Bus Line #10 currently takes between 60 and 75 minutes to
complete the trip from downtown Santa Monica to downtown Los Angeles via
the Santa Monica Freeway. The estimated run time
for the BRT option from 7th/Flower to downtown Santa Monica on
the Exposition right-of-way would be 39 to 47 minutes depending on the
number of stations an individual bus serves. The estimated run time for
the light rail option would be 42 minutes. A short tunnel segment
is being considered for both the Exposition BRT and Exposition LRT options
on the eastern part of the alignment near USC/Exposition Park from
Figueroa Street to Vermont Avenue. The net additional cost for this
0.6-mile subway would range from $120 million to $150 million. The
following is the schedule and locations for public hearings on the
Draft EIS/EIR:
The Westside of Los
Angeles has the highest population and employment density in the Southern
California region, as well as the highest proportion of transit ridership,
features which make the area ideal for fixed guideway transit solutions. The area has a current
population of 1.5 million persons and that figure is expected to grow by
300,000 over the next 20 years. The number of jobs is projected to
increase by over 200,000. In addition, no
significant expansion of existing freeway and street networks is planned
to accommodate this growth. As a result, improvements in public transit
represent the best means to meet future growth demands. In January, 1998, the
MTA suspended work on the Metro Red Line subway extension to the Mid-City
area due to funding shortfalls. The federal government had committed to
fund $245 million, or approximately 50 percent, of the cost of the
project. Adoption of an above-ground transit project could utilize these
suspended subway monies. In addition, the Governor’s Transportation
Initiative has committed $258 million in state funds for the
Mid-City/Westside Transit Corridor. The Draft EIS/EIR
released today represents the latest phase in the Mid-City/Westside
Transit Corridor Studies which were initiated to examine potential
alternatives to the subway extension and to preserve the federal funding.
An EIS/EIR is required to obtain state and federal funding to design and
construct a project. MTA-049 |
|