Link: MTA seeking public input on Crenshaw transit plan - The Daily Breeze
MTA seeking public input on Crenshaw transit plan
By Andrea Woodhouse Staff Writer
Posted: 09/28/2009 07:29:09 PM PDT
The Metropolitan Transportation Agency this week will begin soliciting public comment on an ambitious north-south public transit project that will affect several South Bay communities.
In a series of four hearings beginning Wednesday, Metro will present options for the Crenshaw Transit Corridor Project, designed to ease freeway congestion and improve accessibility to Los Angeles International Airport through either a bus or light rail line.
"The intent is to improve accessibility to the areas along the line, to connect to the South Bay, relieve congestion and provide transit alternatives," said Roderick Diaz, a project manager.
The project area includes Hawthorne, El Segundo, Inglewood, Los Angeles and some portions of unincorporated Los Angeles County - essentially a 33-square-mile area bounded roughly by El Segundo, Wilshire, Sepulveda and La Tijera boulevards, and Arlington Avenue.
Here is the schedule of the hearings:
From 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Wilshire Methodist Church Hall of Fellowship, 4350 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles.
From 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the West Angeles Church's Crystal Room, 3045 Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles.
From 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at Inglewood High School's cafeteria, 231 S. Grevillea Ave.
From 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 6 at Transfiguration Church Hall, 2515 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Los Angeles.
Diaz said public comment gathered at these hearings will factor into the Metro board's final vote at the end of the year on which of two project options to implement:
A bus line option would span 12 miles with eight stations, providing travel times of about 30 minutes from the Metro Green Line to the Expo Line, or about 40 minutes from the Green line to Wilshire Boulevard/Western Avenue. The project's cost is estimated at about $600 million in current dollars, with the expectation that 3,500 jobs would be created during its construction phase.
A light rail proposal would span more than eight miles with at least seven stations, and an estimated travel time of 20 minutes from the Metro Green Line to the Expo Line. The base cost is estimated at $1.3 billion, with various design options ranging in cost from $11 million to $255 million. The project is estimated to generate about 7,800 jobs.
Funded by Measure R, a half-cent sales tax increase approved by voters in November to fund transportation projects, the Crenshaw Corridor project is designed to provide relief to the San Diego (405) and Harbor (110) freeways.
It would also improve access to Los Angeles International Airport by connecting the Metro Green Line to the south and the Expo Line to the north. A bus line would also connect to the Wilshire Corridor.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas has supported the light rail option, which he believed was more environmentally friendly and efficient.
"For years, these communities have historically been underserved by transit investments, and the project will not only improve local mobility but also will generate jobs directly and indirectly for the entire region," he said in a statement.
Diaz estimated that the final design and construction process would begin in 2011 and last up to six years, with the system operational by 2018.
andrea.woodhouse@dailybreeze.com
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