L.A. Metro looks at three light-rail routes to get to Hollywood

L.A. Metro officials are expected to vote on three alternatives for the Crenshaw/LAX line later this month.

Los Angeles Metro officials are trying to decide which option is going to get celebrity status on a new light-rail line that will travel north of Hollywood.

Three alternatives for the Crenshaw/LAX route are on the table—La Brea, Fairfax and Vicente Hybrid Option 2. La Brea is the most direct route to Hollywood. Trains would go north before turning west at Venice Boulevard, then north again to La Brea Avenue before arriving in Hollywood. The Fairfax line contains a little more engineering. There will be aerial tracks along Venice Boulevard, and the line will turn into a subway route through the Beverly Grove neighborhood. The line will turn east at Santa Monica Boulevard to serve the city of West Hollywood. The hybrid option would serve many activity hubs in Beverly Grove and West Hollywood. The line follows portions of the Fairfax line and would end in Hollywood.

The Crenshaw/LAX route is expected to carry about 90,000 passengers daily. The La Brea option is 6.3 miles long and could cost as much as $4.4 billion. Fairfax would be 8 miles long and is estimated to cost in upwards of $5.3 billion, while the hybrid option is the longest at 9.9 miles and could cost as much as $6.5 billion.

The Metro Board of Directors will select a winner later this month. About half of the funding for the chosen line will come from the 2016 Measure M expenditure plan.

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