New Wilshire Boulevard Subway

[kenalpern]

...and so it begins!


MTA OKs study of Wilshire subway extension
From a Times Staff Writer
June 29, 2007


The Metropolitan Transportation Agency board of directors on Thursday approved a $3.6-million feasibility study of the much-discussed extension of the Wilshire Boulevard subway.

The study will look at alternate routes and preliminary engineering and environmental issues. It will take up to 18 months to complete.

In approving the study, board members say they are not necessarily backing the so-called "Subway to the Sea" project, which would run along Wilshire from the Mid-Wilshire area through the Miracle Mile, Beverly Hills, Westwood and to Santa Monica. The subway would cost at least $4 billion.

[Tony Fernandez]

18 months to complete!
Alternate Routes!

Hey, at least it's a start.

[kingsfan]

Extend it to Westwood, and then North to Van Nuys. That is the route that makes sense.

[Justin Walker]

Well it would have to connect to the Expo Line (and eventually the Green Line) in Santa Monica if we want this to make sense. A Sepulveda Pass line would have to follow that.

[JerardWright]

A short elevated 2 mile spur line from the future Expo Phase 2 up the Sepulveda ROW or to the west of it through the zoned industrial areas to Westwood/UCLA Lot 32 or 36 (Its between Gayley and Veteran on Wilshire) could serve this need and with short extentions north into the UCLA campus provide a much needed carrot to extend the Wilshire West "Purple" Line towards Westwood, since Expo's capacity will obviously be overwhelmed with such a line.

I'm looking at this politically and pragmatically. It's pragmatic that it provides a stop gap into this very job rich/cultural/education area that Expo Line riders will be coming from. The Palms area house a lot of Off-campus UCLA residents.

It's also political because now the Purple Line doesn't look like a gold plated stand alone line it's connecting to other lines directly along it's path (One could come from the Crenshaw Corridor and the other is this short extension that provides a precursor to the Van Nuys-Sepulveda-405 Corridor.)

[norm]

kenalpern said:

...and so it begins!


MTA OKs study of Wilshire subway extension
From a Times Staff Writer
June 29, 2007


The Metropolitan Transportation Agency board of directors on Thursday approved a $3.6-million feasibility study of the much-discussed extension of the Wilshire Boulevard subway.

The study will look at alternate routes and preliminary engineering and environmental issues. It will take up to 18 months to complete.

In approving the study, board members say they are not necessarily backing the so-called "Subway to the Sea" project, which would run along Wilshire from the Mid-Wilshire area through the Miracle Mile, Beverly Hills, Westwood and to Santa Monica. The subway would cost at least $4 billion.

Of course, the article left out that the MTA also agreed to set up studies for the DTC (Downtown Regional Connector) and an Eastside Extension Phase II.

[kenalpern]

Responses to the above excellent posts:

1) Justin, you may be right, but please realize that the Wilshire Subway will probably be built in phases. The first phase, for example, might only be built to Wilshire/Fairfax. I tend to believe that the next two phases will be built to Century City and Westwood. At the time of considering a Westwood extension, the question of what's next will arise...and it is indeed likely we'll see a consideration of a north-south push at that time, and not the continuation westward to Santa Monica.

2) Jerard, I agree entirely with the Purple Line being part of a network, and it is my hope that it will be built in conjunction with the future Crenshaw Line and Sepulveda/405 Line

3) Norm, that article was very odd in that it was buried deep in the California section, and it was so terse in its nature. Yes, those other excellent projects were set up for study...and it does speak well that Metro is truly focusing on projects that have the most merit.