MTA Wilshire Blvd. Transit Study

MTA STUDIES MID/CITY WESTSIDE TRANSIT CORRIDOR

Traffic on the Westside is among the most congested of any American city. The Santa Monica and San Diego Freeways are two of the heaviest used freeways in the country and peak rush hour traffic clogs most of the arterial roadways. Congestion will continue to get worse, based on the Southern California Association of Governments' predictions for the year 2020.

To address this problem, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), in cooperation with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), has initiated work on the Mid-City/Westside Transit Corridor Study. The study is one of three studies being conducted in Los Angeles County to consider alternatives to Metro Rail projects suspended in 1998 due to funding shortfalls. On the Westside, the suspended Metro Red Line subway project would have provided two stations west from the current terminus at Wilshire/Western.

In November of 1998, voters passed an initiative prohibiting further use of local transportation dollars to build subways, leaving above ground transportation improvements eligible for local funding. Subway construction is still eligible for state or federal dollars.

The study will look at alternative types of transportation projects that meet the needs of the Mid-City/Westside and that are realistic in today's financial environment. The transit technologies and vehicles being considered include light rail/trolley, busways with dedicated lanes, and potential Metro Rail subway and aerial rail extensions such as monorail. Also evaluated in the study will be very low cost improvements, such as lane restriping and traffic signal synchronization.

The Mid-City/Westside routes being considered are Wilshire Boulevard, Pico and San Vicente Boulevards, and the abandoned Exposition railroad right-of-way.

Over the study's 18-month timeframe, the MTA will evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the various alternatives, with the goal of narrowing the list to a preferred one. A detailed environmental analysis will follow. Extensive public outreach will take place in early 2000.

Public comment is encouraged. For comments and/or more information, please call the MTA Mid-City/Westside Transit Corridor Study Hotline at 310-366-6443. Contact: David Mieger, MTA Project Manager 213.922.3040 Andrea Burnside, MTA Deputy Project Manager 213.922.3084