Exposition Light Rail Line Project Developments

[Transit Coalition]

Phase I of the Expo Line is under construction and you can see more on the project by visiting the Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority Website.

Phase II of the Expo Line has entered the Scoping Process where community meetings were held to gather any concerns or issues that should be addressed in EIS/EIR (Environmental Impact Statement / Environmental Impact Report). The final scoping meeting was held on Thursday, March 15, 2007.

The long term community group Friends 4 Expo Transit provides leadership and a home port to guide this project along with public support. Others supporting the project are the neighborhood group Light Rail for Cheviot, with a comprehensive support flier and additional factual support from the Wikipedia.

As with any big public works project, some in the community oppose the idea or don't like the routing, so the Cheviot Hills Home Owners Association voted its opposition and Neighbors for Smart Rail was created.

[James Fujita]

if you haven't been to the Light Rail for Cheviot website yet, you should go take a look. I took a gander and was impressed.

Especially noteworthy is the gallery, including the opposition literature section.

For pure comedic joy, you can't go wrong with these fearmongering propoganda flyers, which fall somewhere between Adolf Hitler ("Do we want 100-foot craters in our streets? Massive noise and congestion? A possible explosion or serious accident on our hands?") and a bad 1950s monster movie ("Did you know? the rail car is 89 feet long, 12 feet high, weighing 98,000 pounds...")

[bluelineshawn]

IIRC Expo Phase I was supposed to begin heavy construction (as opposed to the utility relocation) in late 2006. We're pretty much in Spring 2007 and I haven't seen anything. Anyone know what's up? When can we expect to see some real activity?

[Tony Fernandez]

I thought that there was some activity south of Washington when I was at USC two weeks ago.

[tonyw79sfv]

I remember seeing activity on Flower Street south of Pico two months ago.

[Elson]

tonyw79sfv said:

I remember seeing activity on Flower Street south of Pico two months ago.

They are doing utility relocation on Flower St. between Washington and Adams. I biked right over it on Marathon Sunday earlier this month.

[nicksantangelo]

Here's some letters from the March 24 LA Times. to be honest, I think the 'Hummer' letter is the best- at least it made me laugh. I don't think the LA Times article on the Cheviot controversy, with it's commentary from Mr. Cates, nor the accompanying map showing the 'diversion' went over very well with LA Times readers.
--------------------------------------------------
Light rail would be welcomed
March 24, 2007

Re "Cheviot Hills residents divided on light-rail route," March 17

My wife and I live five houses from a Gold Line station. We bought the house years ago when the rail line was in the planning stages, anticipating and eventually experiencing higher property values, traffic relief and an easy way to navigate the city. Buying close to transit was one of the best decisions we ever made.

But at the Cheviot Hills meeting, I spoke to some who saw rail as some sort of dark force that lowers property values and endangers children. I told them I have yet to see light rail bring down a neighborhood, be it in Portland, Boston, Istanbul or Pasadena. There is no reason why the Expo Line won't benefit the neighborhood, much like the Red Cars provided residents cheap, local transportation long before cars and freeways swallowed up Westside streets.

Instead of second-rate route diversions proposed at the meeting, we should be linking neighborhoods, not continuing to isolate them via gridlock.

JERI AND NICK SANTANGELO

Los Angeles

•



Having once lived in the neighborhood, I recall the Expo Line/Cheviot Hills skirmish going back decades. The Expo Line as currently routed would serve the broadest demographic of any in L.A., from downtown, past USC, the West Adams district, the revitalized Culver City, Westside Pavilion and Westwood and the choked Olympic corridor business district, not to mention the beach-bound masses so reviled by detractors. If only some Hollywood hotshot were allowed to design the nose of the train to resemble a Hummer. Great product placement for GM and, like, totally cool in the minds of Cheviot Hillians.

EARL BEADLE

Pasadena

•



It is amusing that the Cheviot Hills Home Owners Assn. has now become expert in transit planning. Its suggestion of diverting the new Expo Line down Venice Boulevard to Venice has never been a viable route. Actually, it is not an alternate route but a diversionary route. It would cost millions more and add 10 or more minutes to the line. This would kill the potential ridership. Hopefully, MTA planners will pick the shortest, fastest and most logical route.

ALAN K. WEEKS

Los Angeles



•



Sign me up as a future rider of the Metro Expo Line. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. The available right-of-way is close enough to that line. Where's the controversy?

STUART WEISS

Los Angeles

[kenalpern]

I agree--by the way, nice letter, Nick. It was both entertaining and informative that only one side seemed to get printed...or perhaps the other side didn't weigh in?

[Tony Fernandez]

So, what's been going on lately with USC? Is there going to be a station there or not?

[Elson]

phattonez said:

So, what's been going on lately with USC? Is there going to be a station there or not?

I believe the line will be built without one, although there will be stations at Jefferson/Flower and Vermont/Exposition to serve the campus. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but the line will be engineered so that one can easily be built there in the future, especially if the NFL comes to the Coliseum and/or Los Angeles gets the 2016 Olympics.

[LAofAnaheim]

How come USC has that much influence to not allow a station near the campus? From my reading, it seems Bernard Parks strongly wants to the station between USC & Expo Park, but Steven Sample is the main hold out?

[Elson]

sodha said:

How come USC has that much influence to not allow a station near the campus? From my reading, it seems Bernard Parks strongly wants to the station between USC & Expo Park, but Steven Sample is the main hold out?

Although I'm a USC alum and root for the Trojans all the way, and wrote the first article in the USC campus newspaper on what would be the Exposition line back in 1992, I have to say that USC's Urban Planning program is overrun by transit-hating Libertarians, who no doubt have lobbied Sample to oppose this.

I'm not a big fan of Bernard Parks, but I totally support him on this issue.

[James Fujita]

most of the people on this message board are seasoned rail transit veterans, but just in case there are any newcomers reading this, it should be added that one specific example of extreme libertarian anti-rail sentiment at USC can be found in Prof. James E. Moore II, who has written editorials in the Los Angeles Times on the subject, and has been one of the major enemies of rail transit. feel free to Google him and weep.

[nicksantangelo]

Just viewed the archived video footage of the Life and Times segment (which aired March 27). I think the lightrailforcheviot.org people did a very good job. Here's the link www.kcet.org/lifeandtimes/blog/index.php?kcet_speed=hi&kcet_play=1

You can also see the written transcript on their webpage if the video is too slow to load/play.

[Adrian Auer-Hudson]

The life and times clip is great.

Does anyone here know what is the Washington Blvd realignment refered to on the KCET website. The Blvd was realigned as recently as 1993. I can't believe they want to move it again!

[bluelineshawn]

Thanks for the link. I would have missed the show without it.

[Elson]

jfujita said:

most of the people on this message board are seasoned rail transit veterans, but just in case there are any newcomers reading this, it should be added that one specific example of extreme libertarian anti-rail sentiment at USC can be found in Prof. James E. Moore II, who has written editorials in the Los Angeles Times on the subject, and has been one of the major enemies of rail transit. feel free to Google him and weep.

Libertarians are by nature selfish people. That's part of their beliefs. If they saw a little child injured in the middle of a street they would rather see the kid die, thinking that it's the child's fault and the child should be responsible for helping him/herself.

If Libertarians ever chartered a voyage on a cruise ship, there would have to be one life raft per passenger because there's no way any of them would be willing to share one with someone else. Of course, this would never happen because the fact that they are sharing a ride on a single vessel would count as a form of mass transportation, which is evil and socialist, so they would instead sail the ocean in individual yachts.

Libertarians also support legalized prostitution, because it's the only way they can ever get laid.

[wad]

elson said:

Libertarians are by nature selfish people. That's part of their beliefs.

If you also see the only political program libertarians have managed, and that is think tanks, the term "libertarian" is an Orwellian bastardization.

At the root of libertarian is liberty, but the monomaniacal meditations on economics actually espouse corporatism. That's the ideology of Benito Mussolini and Augusto Pinochet, who would agree with libertarians' economic musings but have contempt for liberty.

[James Fujita]

you know, it's funny- I know that rail transit supporters come in all different political stripes and flavors: there are liberals, moderates, conservatives, socialists, environmentalists, Bush-supporters, Bush-haters, Democrats, Republicans, gays, straights, atheists, Catholics, Protestants, Buddhists, Muslims, Mormons (Salt Lake City light rail!), union labor advocates and businessmen.

But there are some political divides that can't be bridged, and I'm sorry to say that Libertarian is one of them. I have yet to see a Libertarian who supported rail transit, and if one did, I'd be shocked.

Getting back to the Expo Line, it is true that a station at USC would be one of the crown jewels of the line. Clearly a USC station would be valuable to the millions who visit Exposition Park each year.
Fortunately, Sample's opposition wasn't able to derail the whole project and there will be stations within reasonable distance, if not immediately next to campus. When the light rail line is up and running and USC is looking like a laughing stock for not "getting on board," I hope Steven Sample realizes his mistake and gives James Moore a swift kick in the butt.

[Gokhan]

The last time when I asked about the USC station to the project director, in November, I was told that CEO Rick Thorpe gave it a 90% chance. The sticking point is that USC is asking for special arcitecture for all stations around USC. The construction authority actually started the design of the USC station in November, with the hope that it will be built. Since these stations will be built in 2008, we won't know for sure until then. But I think it will be built. Note that USC student senate also has passed a resolution on strong, urgent, and full support of the USC station. The only remaining problems is Steven Sample et al.

[kenalpern]

Sooner or later it will happen, in one way, shape or form. Universal City once eschewed a Red Line connection, and now it really wants it. Perhaps the probblem is James Moore, perhaps the problem is Steven Sample.

Perhaps the problem is the faculty and alumni and students allowing its current leadership to remain in place.

[Elson]

kenalpern said:

Sooner or later it will happen, in one way, shape or form. Universal City once eschewed a Red Line connection, and now it really wants it. Perhaps the probblem is James Moore, perhaps the problem is Steven Sample.

This is a classic example of the higher-ups having the best intentions but are otherwise clueless, and the problems being created by middle management. You see this repeated in government and in corporations. Moore made the strongest case against rail at USC, and Sample hadn't heard otherwise, so he's going to side with Moore not because he's aligned with any ideology, but because someone with influence inside the organization made the strongest case, so he just went with it.

If Moore or his department were pro-rail, we would have been riding this line already.

As an alum who spent his entire college term within Sample's tenure, Sample may have made some questionable choices in the past but overall he has been a good president to the University, I don't think this one single issue is worth calling for his ouster.

[JerardWright]

gokhan said:

The last time when I asked about the USC station to the project director, in November, I was told that CEO Rick Thorpe gave it a 90% chance. The sticking point is that USC is asking for special arcitecture for all stations around USC. The construction authority actually started the design of the USC station in November, with the hope that it will be built. Since these stations will be built in 2008, we won't know for sure until then. But I think it will be built. Note that USC student senate also has passed a resolution on strong, urgent, and full support of the USC station. The only remaining problems is Steven Sample et al.

That would be cool. I would hope USC would pay for a pedestrian bridge and elevator connection for this station, since crossing the tracks were the major concern.

This way they could close off the station from the street go this way for those Football games and other large events the bridge could be a feature of the line that ties the campuses (USC and Museum/Expo Park) together . I can visualize this now, red and dark brown brick in a common or Flemish bond with peach/creme colored concrete for some features to mimic what's surrounding the area. This Crimson red slightly arched pedestrian bridge framing the area and creating a focal point.

When I have a free moment and the scanner is working I'll post a cross-section of this could look like.

[wad]

kenalpern said:

Universal City once eschewed a Red Line connection, and now it really wants it.

Universal City actually wanted the station on top of the hill, but it made this demand in 1997. It was over a decade too late.

[kenalpern]

Understood, wad. My biggest issue with Universal City, USC and other areas/entities is that they insist everyone else pay for their screwups. I think that innovative ways to make the locals at least share the costs (50-50) is the best way to go in order to correct these problems. Perhaps the $40 million walkway that Universal City wants for its Red Line connection could be at least paid for in part ($20 million) by the private sector.

Same with USC--show us the money!

[bluelineshawn]

bluelineshawn said:

IIRC Expo Phase I was supposed to begin heavy construction (as opposed to the utility relocation) in late 2006. We're pretty much in Spring 2007 and I haven't seen anything. Anyone know what's up? When can we expect to see some real activity?

I'm answering my own question. Major construction is supposed to start next month.

[norm]

Not sure if this has already been posted or not, but tomorrow at 10 AM (April 6/07), KPCC 89.3 FM will have a debate about Phase 2 of Expo on air (taped tonight, I believe). Undoubetdly, some of you may even be part of the broadcast. If my rush hour memory serves me correctly, it should be mediated by Larry Mantle as a Which Way LA segment or Air Talk or one of the many segments he hosts. Again, that should be broadcast (and probably podcast from their website) at 10 AM.

[nicksantangelo]

Re: Air Talk segment. Just listened to it. I think the pro-ROW contingent did a very good job and the anti-ROW rep came across as, well disingenuous. They say they are protesting the ROW because of school safety concerns (which will no doubt be negated by a cut and cover @ Overland), yet do NOT consider the Venice diversion dangerous to children who go to schools along THAT route!

Not to mention the fact that any Venice option would involve trains down the middle of an extremely busy street.

[whitmanlam]

Just about the best hour of talk radio I've ever heard. 'Very informative and progressive.

County supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky came out as neutral in route selection, with a "wait and see" approach. But, he too, acknowledged the failure of the Gold Line was the slow speed.

As for Terry Tippet, the voice of the Anti-Row faction "Citizens for Smart Transit", she did not seem credible, and kept insisting that the Expo Line might eventually be built at-grade across Overland. They have yet to prove how "Smart" their transit ideas are.

Alas, we did not hear from an Anti-Rail pro Freeway critic, a potential powder keg argument. That would have made my day.

[norm]

Again, for those who missed it, you can find it here. You only need Hour 1. Hour 2 deals with something else entirely.
For now, this is the link until it reaches their archives.
www.scpr.org/programs/airtalk/index.shtml