|
Post by Gokhan on Sept 13, 2011 15:39:26 GMT -8
But as of 3:20PM, Sep 13, at National/Expo/Palms there were were no bulldozers, no workmen, no nothing. Maybe tomorrow. Ah, if you looked closer, you would see that the fences on the bridge are gone. I will post a pic later.
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Sept 13, 2011 15:39:46 GMT -8
This is the first time Daily Trojan has written something totally positive about the Expo Line. Students are asking, "When are they going to build it? When are they going to open it? We want to ride it now! Open it already! We need it badly! Why wasn't this built before? It sucks that it will open after I graduate! We want to ride it -- we want to ride it -- we want to ride it! Tell us more about it! Keep us updated on the testing and opening and where we can take it to!" LA Metro breaks ground on Phase 2 of Expo Line
|
|
|
Post by LAofAnaheim on Sept 13, 2011 15:59:34 GMT -8
This is the first time Daily Trojan has written something totally positive about the Expo Line. Students are asking, "When are they going to build it? When are they going to open it? We want to ride it now! Open it already! We need it badly! Why wasn't this built before? It sucks that it will open after I graduate! We want to ride it -- we want to ride it -- we want to ride it! Tell us more about it! Keep us updated on the testing and opening and where we can take it to!" LA Metro breaks ground on Phase 2 of Expo LineI wish the students at BHUSD would do the same.... I have a feeling they do not agree with their school President or those parents that show up to Metro meetings for the subway project.
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Sept 13, 2011 19:15:03 GMT -8
But as of 3:20PM, Sep 13, at National/Expo/Palms there were were no bulldozers, no workmen, no nothing. Maybe tomorrow. Ah, if you looked closer, you would see that the fences on the bridge are gone. I will post a pic later. Fences are back in as of this evening. Enjoy the action from this morning, with the orange construction equipment driving on the bridge and trucks parked on the embankment:
|
|
|
Post by roadtrainer on Sept 13, 2011 20:23:36 GMT -8
So much for Needing a RSVP Was Able to Just walk in and there were no issues like who are you They even gave a way souvenirs of the event Dwight. --A big God bless you and thank you for all the great news reporting and picture taking. You are appreciated! Sincerely The Roadtrainer
|
|
|
Post by rajacobs on Sept 13, 2011 21:28:12 GMT -8
Gokhan, thanks for the visual; I'm now a believer that something really took place today! ...So any clue what they were doing on the bridge, etc.?
By the way, is the bike path east of Nationa/Expo/Palms going to be between the freeway and the rails or between the rails and the road or on the road (I hope not)?
...And Dwight, ditto to Roadtrainer's comments. Your news and commentary and pics are great! Thank you and I'll look forward to more.
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Sept 13, 2011 22:20:15 GMT -8
I'm not sure what they were doing on the bridge. Perhaps they were putting new fencing.
The 17-ft-wide Federal multiuse (bike + ped) path is between the tracks and the freeway east of Bagley Ave and between Exposition Blvd and the tracks (still Class I) west of Bagley Ave.
It's on National Blvd and Motor Ave (Class II [on the road]) between National/Palms and Motor/I-10 bridge. From there on it follows the restricted-use easement north of the freeway to the north of the tracks in the Northvale trench.
|
|
|
Post by rajacobs on Sept 14, 2011 4:25:13 GMT -8
Regarding the bikeway, so apparently cyclists will have to cross the tracks at Bagley to continue westward.
Additionally, if there's a bikepath going in between Exposition and the tracks west of Bagley, then the grading that was done on the dirt just east of National/Expo/Palms, as nice as it looks, is temporary and had only to do with clean-out and removal of the oil pipes.
I think it would have been nice to continue the bikepath between the freeway and tracks, all the way to Motor. I was pretty sure this would not be the case given the rather tall retaining wall at National and no plans to put in a bikepath bridge!
|
|
|
Post by darrell on Sept 14, 2011 10:10:35 GMT -8
I was at the groundbreaking yesterday as well. Thanks for coming up and introducing yourself - it was great to meet in person!
|
|
|
Post by LAofAnaheim on Sept 14, 2011 12:30:31 GMT -8
I was at the groundbreaking yesterday as well. Thanks for coming up and introducing yourself - it was great to meet in person! Now you know my identity......hahaha. It was great to meet you to Darrell and I just wanted to come up and show you my appreciation for how hard you have pushed this project through! Thanks!
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Sept 15, 2011 15:09:39 GMT -8
I should also add that this morning they were clearing the right-of-way section around Bagley Avenue. In addition, there was a truck on the National bridge again, probably doing some cleaning there too.
|
|
|
Post by bluelineshawn on Sept 15, 2011 17:58:39 GMT -8
Thanks for the photo update!
|
|
|
Post by carter on Sept 15, 2011 18:27:15 GMT -8
The FedEx Store and the Building next to it at Expo & Bundy is currently being torn down pictures soon on my flicker page There goes my local FedEx!
|
|
|
Post by bobdavis on Sept 15, 2011 21:25:24 GMT -8
I am rather amused by the current version of "groundbreaking"--the various officials with shovels rearranging a pile of sand (personally observed for the Foothill Extension, and seen in photos of the new East Bay Terminal project in San Francisco). I've referred to it as "Giving the VIP's a chance to play in the sand pile, going back to their childhoods."
|
|
|
Post by roadtrainer on Sept 15, 2011 21:53:06 GMT -8
Gokhan: Did they finally clean up the hills of dirt by Expo and Bagley?
|
|
|
Post by roadtrainer on Sept 15, 2011 21:55:52 GMT -8
My highlights from this morning Who are these people? I think that they are the real hero's of Friend for Expo?
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Sept 15, 2011 22:12:47 GMT -8
Ah, Darrell should have put a caption. From left to right: Sarah Hays (LRC, F4ET), Karen Leonard (LRC, F4ET), Julia Maher (LRC, F4ET), Ms. ?, Denny Zane (creator of Measure R), Faith Mitchell (F4ET), Councilman Bill Rosendahl, Ms. ?, Darrell Clarke (F4ET), and Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom. Caption written by: me (LRC, F4ET) LOL LRC; Light-Rail for Cheviot F4ET: Friends for Expo
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Sept 15, 2011 22:17:32 GMT -8
Gokhan: Did they finally clean up the hills of dirt by Expo and Bagley? Getting there, probably by next week.
|
|
|
Post by rajacobs on Sept 15, 2011 23:13:24 GMT -8
Regarding the "hills of dirt near Expo and Bagley," ...actually, I'm going to be sad to see them go--and I'm not referring to the dirt but what's IN the dirt. This has been perhaps the ONLY Westside source for free garden boulders ...if you can lift them! Rather than losing the piles of rocks, I'd love to see legions of neighbors going over there and absconding with the rock piles that Expo clearly has no use for!
|
|
|
Post by joshuanickel on Sept 16, 2011 6:27:30 GMT -8
Ah, Darrell should have put a caption. From left to right: Sarah Hays (LRC, F4ET), Karen Leonard (LRC, F4ET), Julia Maher (LRC, F4ET), Ms. ?, Danny Zane, Faith Mitchell (F4ET), Councilman Bill Rosendahl, Ms. ?, Darrell Clarke (F4ET), and Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom. Caption written by: me (LRC, F4ET) LOL LRC; Light-Rail for Cheviot F4ET: Friends for Expo The person between Julia Maher and Danny Zane is Santa Monica Mayor Pro Tem Gleam Davis.
|
|
andop2
Junior Member
Posts: 70
|
Post by andop2 on Sept 16, 2011 8:09:08 GMT -8
Ah, Darrell should have put a caption. From left to right: Sarah Hays (LRC, F4ET), Karen Leonard (LRC, F4ET), Julia Maher (LRC, F4ET), Ms. ?, Danny Zane, Faith Mitchell (F4ET), Councilman Bill Rosendahl, Ms. ?, Darrell Clarke (F4ET), and Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom. Caption written by: me (LRC, F4ET) LOL LRC; Light-Rail for Cheviot F4ET: Friends for Expo The person between Julia Maher and Danny Zane is Santa Monica Mayor Pro Tem Gleam Davis. Actually it's Denny Zane, not Danny, Executive Director of Move LA and former Santa Monica mayor.
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Sept 16, 2011 8:38:19 GMT -8
Actually it's Denny Zane, not Danny, Executive Director of Move LA and former Santa Monica mayor. ... and the creator of Measure R.
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Sept 16, 2011 19:25:24 GMT -8
|
|
|
Post by darrell on Sept 16, 2011 20:33:54 GMT -8
Ah, Darrell should have put a caption. From left to right: Sarah Hays (LRC, F4ET), Karen Leonard (LRC, F4ET), Julia Maher (LRC, F4ET), Ms. ?, Danny Zane, Faith Mitchell (F4ET), Councilman Bill Rosendahl, Ms. ?, Darrell Clarke (F4ET), and Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom. Caption written by: me (LRC, F4ET) LOL LRC; Light-Rail for Cheviot F4ET: Friends for Expo The person between Julia Maher and Danny Zane is Santa Monica Mayor Pro Tem Gleam Davis. The other missing ID is Barbara Filet, long active with husband Kent Strumpell on bicycle advocacy.
|
|
|
Post by darrell on Sept 16, 2011 20:42:51 GMT -8
Just found this new City of Santa Monica website EXPO LIGHT RAIL (via Metro's The Source).
|
|
|
Post by darrell on Sept 16, 2011 21:21:21 GMT -8
See in particular the September 13, 2011 City Council Report on design details for Colorado, especially about station configurations (a new version of the 4th Street terminus), utilities, streetscape, fire department access, and additional pedestrian crossings.
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Sept 17, 2011 9:54:40 GMT -8
The design is nice but who is going to pay for the acquisition cost of that building in the corner? Perhaps $20 million? It would be nice if the city plans mentioned this.
Time is running up and this would have been much better earlier. The Santa Monica section could end up delaying the opening by a year or more.
Ideally I would like them to see reacquire the old right-of-way just south of Colorado and run all the way to the MTA Venice Division. This way they wouldn't have to go through the Colorado madness and the line would serve south Santa Monica and Venice, and they would get the streetcar on Main Street they keep asking for (they want it on Colorado, which is, unlike Main St, not really an area of interest to pedestrians). Main St could have been closed to vehicular traffic and have light-rail instead, with vehicular traffic provided on Neilson Way (which also used to be a Pacific Electric right-of-way in the past).
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Sept 17, 2011 10:28:13 GMT -8
That Building inside the Property Line from this metro Drawing on the North East Corrner if it is there building then no issue to demolish I was talking about the building on the SE corner of 5th and Colorado, the one across 5th from the one you marked. I think that's in the way too.
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Sept 17, 2011 10:37:24 GMT -8
Ideally I would like them to see reacquire the old right-of-way just south of Colorado and run all the way to the MTA Venice Division. This way they wouldn't have to go through the Colorado madness and the line would serve south Santa Monica and Venice, and they would get the streetcar on Main Street they keep asking for (they want it on Colorado, which is, unlike Main St, not really an area of interest to pedestrians). Main St could have been closed to vehicular traffic and have light-rail instead, with vehicular traffic provided on Neilson Way (which also used to be a Pacific Electric right-of-way in the past). Now that I think about it, here is how it would work: - They would build a new bridge adjacent to the Main St bridge on the west side.
- Put the Santa Monica station just to the east of the new park there past the Main St bridge.
- Then the line would continue on Main St to MTA Venice Division, which would be the terminus station for the line.
- The parking lanes on Main St would be got rid of.
- No awkward 4th/Colorado Station, which is far from the beach, and service all the way to Venice!
- And the acquisition costs of the former Sears Auto ($100+ million) would pay for the majority of the extension to Venice!
Perhaps this could be done sometime in the future, with the line continuing straight down on Colorado and then turning to Main St on a new bridge, and heading toward Venice on Main St.
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Sept 17, 2011 10:56:01 GMT -8
that Building on the South East Conner just looks like it will loose some sidewalk if this image from the city of Santa Monica is correct. It's probably more than just the sidewalk and at least some partial acquisition. The drawing is only conceptual. No matter what they do there, the Sears Auto location is plain awful for the Santa Monica Station. Minor design changes won't do any significant improvements on it. Whoever came up with the idea of of the Sears Auto terminus should be put in prison. It's really an outrage. Santa Monica is doing so much micromanaging on the design but they completely messed up the terminal station. There were so many better places to put the station, such as south of Colorado on Main St or south of Colorado on Ocean Ave, adjacent to the new park, either on its east side or its west side just off the street.
|
|