Re: Final EIR released for Purple Line. « Reply #2 on Mar 20, 2012, 3:34am »
It all looks pretty good. I'm glad they chose Constellation, and that they opted for the on street Westwood option. The only thing I don't like as much is the VA station. It has access to a freeway offramp and pretty much nothing else. That wouldn't be so bad if they were just planning on picking up park and ride ridership. However, I'm worried that they'll dump that as a transfer point for a (probably) BRT 405 line rather than tunneling a much higher ridership light rail line with a stop in Westwood.
It all looks pretty good. I'm glad they chose Constellation, and that they opted for the on street Westwood option. The only thing I don't like as much is the VA station. It has access to a freeway offramp and pretty much nothing else. That wouldn't be so bad if they were just planning on picking up park and ride ridership. However, I'm worried that they'll dump that as a transfer point for a (probably) BRT 405 line rather than tunneling a much higher ridership light rail line with a stop in Westwood.
I know the money wasn't there but I still say Bundy Dr. would've been a much better interim terminal - if for no other reason - Bundy is much more pedestrian friendly.
It all looks pretty good. I'm glad they chose Constellation, and that they opted for the on street Westwood option. The only thing I don't like as much is the VA station. It has access to a freeway offramp and pretty much nothing else. That wouldn't be so bad if they were just planning on picking up park and ride ridership. However, I'm worried that they'll dump that as a transfer point for a (probably) BRT 405 line rather than tunneling a much higher ridership light rail line with a stop in Westwood.
I believe one of The Source stories talks about the possibility of having a VA exit/entrance at or near Wilshire and Federal. It's not quite as a centrally located as Bundy is for Brentwood/West LA
But as you can see from the Google Map -- http://g.co/maps/5qgvw -- there's quite a lot of high density apartments within a quarter mile of Wilshire and Federal.
Re: Final EIR released for Purple Line. « Reply #6 on Mar 20, 2012, 9:52am »
The recommended station entrance for the Rodeo station is on the south side, which is easiest access point in terms of construction but likely not the most convenient for pedestrian access. Station access from Beverly Dr north of Wilshire would have been better.
The Century City station should have 2 access point, one northeast (recommended) and one southwest (currently not recommended). The southwest site could be constructed concurrently with the Century Plaza redevelopment.
I now expect a major shift in spending from the City of Beverly Hills, from lobbyists to lawyers.
They might end up spending so much money on lawyers, that they could singlehandedly bring the current recession to an end...
Oh, the frequently asked questions list discussed the idea that most of the stations only have a single entrance. They point out that all the stations will be designed with knock out panels to allow for future additional entrances to be installed at a later point if money were available, or a private developer wanted to add one...
"All the stations will be designed with “knock-out panels” that will allow additional entrances to be added should an adjacent property owner or local jurisdiction want to fund another entrance. If other funding is available, additional entrances could be included at the time of initial subway construction or could be added subsequently. Additional entrances do not necessarily require a full complement of escalators, elevators or stairs."
It all looks pretty good. I'm glad they chose Constellation, and that they opted for the on street Westwood option. The only thing I don't like as much is the VA station. It has access to a freeway offramp and pretty much nothing else. That wouldn't be so bad if they were just planning on picking up park and ride ridership. However, I'm worried that they'll dump that as a transfer point for a (probably) BRT 405 line rather than tunneling a much higher ridership light rail line with a stop in Westwood.
I believe one of The Source stories talks about the possibility of having a VA exit/entrance at or near Wilshire and Federal. It's not quite as a centrally located as Bundy is for Brentwood/West LA
But as you can see from the Google Map -- http://g.co/maps/5qgvw -- there's quite a lot of high density apartments within a quarter mile of Wilshire and Federal.
I don't think so. If you actually see this somewhere let us know, but the station is way over next to the freeway. I had asked a question about this and it is in the EIR, but mentions nothing about this possibility.
Overall, I think they did a great job on the station decisions, except I have issues with the VA. Hopefully, some private development will come in and develop additional station portals though. Rodeo really needs one on the North side of Wilshire, and having one right next to or on the LACMA property would be much better as well. Also, Century City as someone mentioned needs another entrance at a minimum.
One thing to like about the VA station is that it won't be that deep, although I was hoping for more of a plaza level station than what they came up with. Also, disappointing is that between Westwood and the VA they can only go 25 mph. These two stations are really close to each other, so they couldn't do much better, but that is disappointing. It seems like in LA, all of our terminal stations have really slow approaches (and the other way as well).
Re: Final EIR released for Purple Line. « Reply #9 on Mar 20, 2012, 10:38am »
The critical passage in EIR on construction timing can be found on page 2-105.
To summarize:
1. Needs passage of America Fast Forward (30/10) by Congress 2. Entire segments operational by 2022 with concurrent construction of all 3 phases 3. Tunnel boring will start at 3 locations concurrently (going east?): La Brea, Century City, VA Hospital 4. Pre-construction will have to commence in 2012 to meet this deadline 5. Station box construction begins in 2013 6. Each segment will take 9-10 years to complete, no staged opening 7. Linear construction (assumes no 30/10) will allow earlier opening of phase 1 in 2020 but won't be operational to VA Hospital until 2036
I think the accelerated concurrent construction is clearly a better choice. Just waiting for the House to pass the bill...
Re: Final EIR released for Purple Line. « Reply #10 on Mar 20, 2012, 2:18pm »
I have to say I'm a little bit disappointed that the LACMA West station entrance didn't make the cut.
I don't know the reasons why, so I'm not going to speculate. However, this decision fits with the overall feeling that I get from a lot of the station entrances, which is that they don't feel linked at all to their surroundings. It's either a big "hole in the ground" plaza, or if there is development surrounding a station, they still find a way to stay separate, like at Hollywood and Highland.
I believe one of The Source stories talks about the possibility of having a VA exit/entrance at or near Wilshire and Federal. It's not quite as a centrally located as Bundy is for Brentwood/West LA
But as you can see from the Google Map -- http://g.co/maps/5qgvw -- there's quite a lot of high density apartments within a quarter mile of Wilshire and Federal.
I don't think so. If you actually see this somewhere let us know, but the station is way over next to the freeway. I had asked a question about this and it is in the EIR, but mentions nothing about this possibility.
Overall, I think they did a great job on the station decisions, except I have issues with the VA. Hopefully, some private development will come in and develop additional station portals though. Rodeo really needs one on the North side of Wilshire, and having one right next to or on the LACMA property would be much better as well. Also, Century City as someone mentioned needs another entrance at a minimum.
One thing to like about the VA station is that it won't be that deep, although I was hoping for more of a plaza level station than what they came up with. Also, disappointing is that between Westwood and the VA they can only go 25 mph. These two stations are really close to each other, so they couldn't do much better, but that is disappointing. It seems like in LA, all of our terminal stations have really slow approaches (and the other way as well).
Ah, it was actually a Curbed article, but they were quoting Westside Subway Project Manager Dave Meiger:
"The VA stop will be at Bonsall, on the south side of Wilshire, close to the VA hospital. Meiger said there's a possibility that an entry or exit to the subway could connect to Federal Avenue (which has office buildings and density), but it's a thorny issue as the VA sits on federal property. Basically, stay tuned on this one."
Joined: Mar 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 861 Location: Los Angeles
Re: Final EIR released for Purple Line. « Reply #12 on Mar 20, 2012, 3:41pm »
Carter, very interesting. Thanks.
Hadn't ever seen anything from Metro on this possibility even though others have raised it. They would probably have to build a moving sidewalk underground next to the tail tracks to make this work out as it is quite a distance.
They probably finally realized that the VA station has horrifically poor access. The only way to access will be by bus on Wilshire. The VA doesn't want people dropping off passengers and you really can't walk here from anywhere. Ideally, they would put a portal on the West side of federal. Then you don't have people crossing Federal, which is quite wide and you avoid all the government land issues with the other side.
Hadn't ever seen anything from Metro on this possibility even though others have raised it. They would probably have to build a moving sidewalk underground next to the tail tracks to make this work out as it is quite a distance.
They probably finally realized that the VA station has horrifically poor access. The only way to access will be by bus on Wilshire. The VA doesn't want people dropping off passengers and you really can't walk here from anywhere. Ideally, they would put a portal on the West side of federal. Then you don't have people crossing Federal, which is quite wide and you avoid all the government land issues with the other side.
I've never walked through the VA campus, but it looks pretty flat from Google streetview. I guess it would be much cheaper and just as functional to just make sidewalk improvements. An underground exit, though, would give a huge psychological boost to potential riders. I wonder what the price tag would be.
Regardless of pedestrian access from Brentwood, my concern about what this means for the routing of the future "Sepulveda Pass Corridor" remains. It would be much better if that project could have a station directly under the UCLA campus and then connect to the Purple line at Wilshire/Westwood.
Hadn't ever seen anything from Metro on this possibility even though others have raised it. They would probably have to build a moving sidewalk underground next to the tail tracks to make this work out as it is quite a distance.
They probably finally realized that the VA station has horrifically poor access. The only way to access will be by bus on Wilshire. The VA doesn't want people dropping off passengers and you really can't walk here from anywhere. Ideally, they would put a portal on the West side of federal. Then you don't have people crossing Federal, which is quite wide and you avoid all the government land issues with the other side.
I've never walked through the VA campus, but it looks pretty flat from Google streetview. I guess it would be much cheaper and just as functional to just make sidewalk improvements. An underground exit, though, would give a huge psychological boost to potential riders. I wonder what the price tag would be.
Regardless of pedestrian access from Brentwood, my concern about what this means for the routing of the future "Sepulveda Pass Corridor" remains. It would be much better if that project could have a station directly under the UCLA campus and then connect to the Purple line at Wilshire/Westwood.
I def. agree with your point on the Sepulveda Pass Project. It needs to go to Westwood Village with a stop at UCLA to really be effective. Anything else will be a major disappointment.
On the sidewalk, it is important to remember that Wilshire is very curvy here so a shorter line between the station and Wilshire/Federal is through the VA property. Also, there isn't going to be much of a sidewalk here in the future as the Wilshire Busway project is going to take much of the sidewalk away. There certainly wouldn't be room for a moving sidewalk here (I don't think there is room even now).
The idea behind the Wilshire/Federal entrance is that the tail tracks are going to extend beyond the station by quite a bit to near this intersection and somehow the entrance could be incorporated into this.
Re: Final EIR released for Purple Line. « Reply #15 on Mar 21, 2012, 10:56am »
That's a good point masonite... it should be fairly easy to extend the pedestrian platform/walkway next to the tail tracks and make the emergency exit a regular exit to Wilshire/Federal.
Re: Final EIR released for Purple Line. « Reply #17 on Mar 24, 2012, 5:34pm »
Constellation is the right choice. I don't even live in Los Angeles County but I can think of a couple instances in the past where a Constellation Station would have been useful for myself and my significant other. She had her Bar Exam there and I had an interview.
The entire line is full of potential as well. I used to work at Fairfax and Wilshire. I actually did take the Purple Line to the bus to go to work sometimes. I would have done it every single time had this extension been built earlier. My girlfriend used to go to UCLA. She drove two hours twice a week. It would have been so much better on Metrolink/Amtrak + Purple Line. 40-50 minutes on Metrolink/Amtrak + 5 minutes to transfer + 25 minutes on Purple Line. About an hour and a half. Instead of fighting other drivers, you study on the way to class.
So many missed opportunities in this corridor, but the missteps of the past are being corrected.
Joined: Mar 2011 Gender: Male Posts: 203 Location: Bell Gardens
Re: Final EIR released for Purple Line. « Reply #18 on Mar 24, 2012, 11:21pm »
Yes, Beverly Hills is indeed losing its mind. How about going after those builders that have destroyed hills by grading them down so low that they have permanently altered the weather patterns in the area? How is that acceptable but a tunnel under a school that few will ever be aware of not be OK? Maybe Los Angeles County should sue Beverly Hills for effecting the weather patterns by allowing this kind of destructive engineering. This is a complete disregard for the environment and maybe even the EPA should get involved!
Joined: Feb 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 69 Location: Venice
Re: Final EIR released for Purple Line. « Reply #20 on Mar 26, 2012, 8:50am »
L.A.’s Westside Subway is Practically Ready for Construction, But Its Completion Could be 25 Years Off
Of the nation’s public transportation improvement projects, Los Angeles’ Westside Subway is one of the most important: It would offer an alternative option for tens of thousands of daily riders and speed travel times by up to 50% compared to existing transit trips. It would serve one of the nation’s densest and most jobs-rich urban corridors and in doing so take a major step forward towards making L.A. a place where getting around without a car is comfortable.
L.A. County’s transit provider, Metro, released the final environmental impact statement for the 8.9-mile Westside Subway project last week, providing the most up-to-date details on a multi-billion-dollar scheme that is expected to enter the construction phase next year. The project received a positive review by the Federal Transit Administration in the Obama Administration’s FY 2013 budget, and it is likely to receive a full-funding grant agreement from Washington later this year. Local revenue sources generated by taxes authorized over the years by voters will cover the majority of the project’s cost.
But questions about the project’s completion timeline remain unanswered: Will L.A. have to rely on conventional sources of financing, or be able to take advantage of federally-backed loans to speed construction?
In addition, the project’s specific plans for station construction suggest that there are opportunities to improve station layout and do more to develop land around certain stops.
If you had seen the Postcards from the Wedge episode of The Simpsons, in which Bart runs the abandoned subway to destroy Springfield Elementary, you wouldn't laugh!
If you had seen the Postcards from the Wedge episode of The Simpsons, in which Bart runs the abandoned subway to destroy Springfield Elementary, you wouldn't laugh!
Well, the Courier's completely gone off the rails But, honestly, this is good for the project, because it looks like the BHUSD's favorite rag looks absolutely insane. It's turned into the Onion.
Metro hosted an open house for the Purple Line subway extension last Thursday night at Beverly Hills's Temple Emanuel, and it seems to have been a bit of a shitshow, according to reports from the Beverly Patch and a video of the proceedings. The event follows the recent release of the final environmental report for the extension, in which Metro proposed a central Century City station at Constellation, which requires tunneling under Beverly Hills High School. Metro cites both seismic issues--a Santa Monica Blvd. stop, which would not require tunneling under BHHS, would sit on a fault line--and ridership numbers that show thousands more people would use a Constellation stop. School officials and many residents are not happy with Constellation, though the reason why has been something of a moving target. Most recently, officials say that Beverly Hills-commissioned studies have found "safety concerns related to the proposed Constellation location," according to CenturyCitySubway.org, a website run by BHUSD's PR firm.
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But, honestly, this is good for the project, because it looks like the BHUSD's favorite rag looks absolutely insane. It's turned into the Onion.