LA Metro to hold hearings on Crenshaw Transit Corridor

After two years of studying options for a new transit system for the Crenshaw Corridor, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is encouraging public comment on draft environmental documents at four public hearings scheduled throughout the community in late September and early October.

These hearings provide
the opportunity for the public to comment on the modal alternatives, Light Rail
Transit and Bus Rapid Transit, and design options being considered in the Draft
Environment Impact Statement/Draft Environment Impact Report for a critical
transportation project that will serve the communities along the heavily
traversed Crenshaw Corridor as well as the South Bay and the region as a whole.

These communities have
historically been underserved by transit investments, and the project will not
only improve local mobility but also will generate jobs directly and indirectly
for the entire region.

The project is a major
north-south investment in the Crenshaw District area, potentially providing
relief for the I-405 and I-110 Freeways. It also will be a major connection to
LAX connecting the Metro Green Line to the south and the Expo Line to the north
and potentially to the Wilshire Corridor (bus rapid transit only). The project
would provide connections to the entire Metro Rail system and its more than
2,100 peak-hour buses.

The study area for the
Crenshaw Corridor Project includes the cities of Los Angeles, Inglewood,
Hawthorne, El Segundo and portions of unincorporated Los Angeles County and
covers approximately a 33-square mile area from Wilshire Boulevard to the
north, El Segundo Boulevard to the South, Arlington Avenue on the east and
Sepulveda Boulevard and La Tijera Boulevard/La Brea Avenue on the west.

The BRT alternative is 12
miles in length with the travel times estimated at 28 to 30 minutes from the
Metro Green Line to the Expo Line or 39 to 41 minutes from Metro Green Line to
Wilshire Boulevard/Western Avenue. There will be eight stations along the
alignment with up to four stations north of Exposition Boulevard to
Wilshire/Western. Cost is estimated at $500 million to $600 million in today’s
dollars. The jobs created during the construction phase are estimated to be
3,500.


The LRT alternative will
be 8.5 miles in length with the travel times estimated at 20 minutes from the
Metro Green Line to Expo Line. This alternative provides for seven stations
plus an option for one more. The base cost of the project is estimated at $1.3
billion in today’s dollars. Various design options cost between $11 million to
$255 million and would add to the total project cost. Job creation is estimated
at 7,800.

Funding will come from
Measure R, the half-cent sales tax initiative approved by voters last November
to improve the region’s mobility and create the transportation infrastructure
needed to help resolve traffic congestion, air pollution and enhance economic
development in Los Angeles County.

Comments received at the
upcoming public hearings will help determine the Locally Preferred Alternative that
will move into final environmental clearance for the Crenshaw Transit Corridor
Project. Based on the environmental document and comments received, the Metro
Board of Directors will select the LPA later this year.