Roundup of articles on the Regional Connector

Link: Curbed LA: Regional Connector: Know All the Possible Downtown Stops

          Roundup of articles on the Regional Connector
          Article 1
          Regional Connector: Know All the Possible Downtown Stops

Monday, November 9, 2009, by Neal Broverman
See link for all photos.
Over the weekend, Metro held the second of four community meetings on the Regional Connector, which would connect the 7th/Metro stop with the new Gold Line stop in Little Tokyo via light rail. Like the Westside subway, which is following a similar timetable, the Connector is in the midst of its environmental review and hopes to open around 2018/19. If it is indeed built, Metro is looking at two options for the connectors: either underground or partly above-ground.

Several new stations would be built for the Regional Connector project depending on which alternative is ultimately selected. For its at-grade emphasis alternative, Metro has identified station locations in the Financial District, Bunker Hill, and the City Hall/Civic Center area. Metro’s underground emphasis alternative also would stop in the Financial District and Bunker Hill areas, and then continue underground. Planners are studying two possible station options on 2nd Street before the line would travel to Little Tokyo.

Specifically, these stops are being considered:

Subway alternative: Stops at 5th & Flower, 2nd & Hope, and Broadway & 2nd or Los Angeles & 2nd

Light-rail option: Stops planned for 5th & Flower, 2nd & Hope, and Main & 1st or 1st & Los Angeles.

The meeting, held at the Wurlitzer Building at 818 S. Broadway this past Saturday morning, went pretty smoothly, with staff explaining that the connector will shorten rides and save commuters—who are now forced to transfer at 7th and Metro or Union Station—about 20 minutes of time. Project manager Dolores Roybal-Saltarelli explained that both those stations are already swamped with commuters during rush-hour, and that the county expects millions more residents in the coming years (and more public transit users, considering new lines are opening every two to four years).

Roybal-Saltarelli was cool-headed when she was asked why the connector couldn't open more quickly. She said the schedule they have now is considered ambitious by most engineers and transit planners. "It's completely feasible that construction could begin in mid-2013," she said.

Most attendees were excited about the line. "It will reduce a lot of the congestion at 7th and Metro," said Gregory Sandoval of Glendale, who rides transit into the city for work. He said the Red and Blue Line platforms were already ridiculously busy. "Just wait until the Expo Line opens [in 2011]," he added.

The one dissenter was John Smythe, who lives Downtown. "I'm for leaving whatever is there," he said. "If you need to transfer, just go to Union Station." He said the money for the connector should be used for other priorities, like new lines.

Little Tokyo residents have been skittish about construction disruption, as well as stop placement, but Ann Kerman, who handles communications for the connector, said she was prepared to assuage fears in Downtown of disruption during the construction phase and density changes to Little Tokyo. "This project will do more to maintain the cultural integrity [of the neighborhood] than diminish it," Kerman said.

Kerman added that the Nikkei Project mixed-use development—near where the connector would link with the Gold Line—is moving forward too, and is in the midst of environmental studies. The Senor Fish restaurant catty-corner to the Gold Line stop will eventually have to be closed for the connector, but there are early discussions of putting another mixed-use development at that corner of 1st and Alameda (development plans like this may be part of the reason Little Tokyo residents are anxious).

Link:Streetsblog Los Angeles » Community Meetings for Regional Connector

Community Meetings for Regional Connector
Article 2
by Damien Newton on October 29, 2009

When
November 5, 2009 6:30 pm November 7, 2009 12:00 pm November 10, 2009 10:00 am November 12, 2009 2:00 pm 6:30 pm

Metro to Hold Community Meetings for Regional Connector Project Nov. 5-12

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) will be conducting five community meetings to update the public on the Regional Connector project the week of November 5 through 12.

Members of the community are encouraged to attend one of the following meetings, all of which are available by public transit:

* Thursday, November 5, 2009, 6:30-8 p.m., Lake Avenue Church, 393 N Lake Avenue, Pasadena
* Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 12-1:30 p.m., Los Angeles Central Library, Board Room, 630 W 5th St., Los Angeles
* Saturday, November 7, 2009, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., Wurlitzer Building, 818 S Broadway, Los Angeles
* Thursday, November 12, 2009. Two meetings: 2-3:30 p.m. and 6:30-8 p.m., Japanese American National Museum, 369 E 1st St, Los Angeles

The project, currently in its Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Report (EIS/R), proposes building a transit line that would link the soon-to-open Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension in the vicinity of the Little Tokyo/Arts District Station and the 7th Street/Metro Center Station, terminus for the Metro Blue Line and future Expo Line. Once completed, transit riders would enjoy increased transit connections throughought the entire system. The Draft EIS/R includes the review of the possible effects of the project and alternatives on the project study area.

The content presented at these meetings will be identical, so those attending a session should seek a time and location most convenient for them.

In March and April 2009, Metro held four Scoping Meetings to obtain public input as part of the DEIS/R. Based on public feedback provided during the scoping process and more detailed technical study, Metro would now like to share some of the results of its ongoing analysis.

Last month the MTA Board voted to pursue long-term funding agreements through the U.S. Department of Transportation to build the Regional Connector project. The MTA Board is expected to make a decision on a preferred alignment late next year.
For additional information or questions, please visit the Regional Connector Transit Corridor Study website at metro.net/regionalconnector or contact the project information line at 213.922.7277.

Link: MTA report calls for light rail, not rapid bus line, on Crenshaw corridor | L.A. NOW | Los Angeles Times

MTA report calls for light rail, not rapid bus line, on Crenshaw corridor
November 10, 2009 | 7:56 am
Article 3
A proposed transit line that will run through South Los Angeles should be light rail, not a rapid bus line, according to a report released by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

South L.A. officials and community groups cheered the recommendation from Metro staff and said the project estimated to cost at least $1.7 billion will provide unprecedented transit opportunities for residents who so far have been under-served by the county's rail network.

"We do consider it a victory," said Trevor Ware, chief operating officer of the Los Angeles Urban League.

"Look at the transportation options that we have now. We have buses on Crenshaw and we see other neighborhoods that are developing other types of transportation options," Ware added.

"To have a decision made that we will have light rail - that's so much faster and will have so much more of an economic impact - we need that too," he said.

The proposed line would run about 8.5 miles from the intersection of Exposition and Crenshaw boulevards, down Crenshaw, southwest through Inglewood and south to a stop near the airport and a connection with the Green Line.

About 2.5 miles of the project is proposed as a subway, including a section that would run underneath Leimert Park, said Metro's project manager Roderick Diaz.

The recommendation from Metro staff must still be approved by the planning and programming committee and then by Metro's board of directors.

Dan Rosenfeld, a senior deputy for L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, said the project could create some 7,800 jobs and that groundbreaking could begin as early as 2012 if funding can be secured.

-- Ari B. Bloomekatz

Streetsblog Los Angeles » Mixed Reviews on Crenshaw Corridor LRT Plan from Community Leaders

Mixed Reviews on Crenshaw Corridor LRT Plan from Community Leaders
Article 4
by Damien Newton on November 10, 2009
Community turnout was strong at public meetings on what to do for the Crenshaw Corridor.

In what can only be considered a win for County Supervisor and Metro Board Member Mark Ridley-Thomas the Metro staff is now recommending that light rail, not Bus Rapid Transit, be brought to the Crenshaw Corridor. Ridley-Thomas has been active behind the scenes and in front of the microphone pushing for adequate funding for light rail for his district.

However, just because a politician supports an idea doesn't mean it necessarily has the support of the communities he represents. For example, remember the vitriolic exchanges between Damien Goodmon and City Councilman, and former Ridley-Thomas opponent, Bernard Parks. So will Crenshaw run into similar opposition as Phase I of Expo? It depends who you ask. While some activists are thrilled to be getting light rail instead of "more buses," others question the proposed alignment.

At the Times' LA_Now blog, the Los Angeles Urban League gives the project a thumbs up:

"We do consider it a victory," said Trevor Ware, chief operating officer of the Los Angeles Urban League.

"Look at the transportation options that we have now. We have buses on Crenshaw and we see other neighborhoods that are developing other types of transportation options," Ware added.

"To have a decision made that we will have light rail - that's so much faster and will have so much more of an economic impact - we need that too," he said.

This morning, I exchanged emails with Goodmon, who seemed supportive of the numerous below-grade crossings and stations for the project but also vowed to push on for further below-grade construction:

We applaud the inclusion of options into the Base LRT design, specifically the below grade Hyde Park portion, and the continued study of the remaining options. Our current focus is on getting the EIR to study the remaining portion between 48th and 60th that is not currently being studied for below grade, so as to avoid future delay from a supplemental environmental process.

For a list of all the grade crossings, visit the agenda for next week's Planning Committee meeting and head to page 5.

Goodmon also noted that there are other areas that might concern the community. Namely that the staff's recommended contractor is not from South L.A., undercutting Ridley-Thomas' boast of 8,700 new jobs and that any at-grade alignment is against the stated position of the City of Los Angeles and the Crenshaw Corridor Specific Plan. The resolution was sponsored by local City Councilmembers Parks and Wesson. A full copy of Goodmon's statement is available after the jump.

STATEMENT ON THE MTA STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE CRENSHAW LINE MODE AND CONTRACT

On behalf of the Citizens' Campaign to Fix the Expo Rail Line, and
South Los Angeles Neighborhood Council's Joint Committee on Rail Transit
Delivered by Damien Goodmon

We agree with MTA staff's recommendation of light rail over bus rapid transit, the inclusion of the below grade (underground) sections along some parts of Crenshaw, and the recommendation to continue study of underground options and stations elsewhere along the route.

However, the portion on Crenshaw Blvd between 48th and 60th St, in Park Mesa Heights, will be a rallying point for our community. Staff is recommending the section, which abuts View Park Prep School and is just a block away from Crenshaw High School only be studied as street-level with no option for underground. We disagree, and want to avoid the problems articulated by Supervisor Gloria Molina regarding Eastside Extension safety issues, and the tragic record of MTA's Blue Line, America's deadliest light rail line.

Staff's recommendation for street level crossings in the Park Mesa Heights community will increase safety hazards to school aged children and the public at large, result in the removal of hundreds of parking spaces important to the area's commerce, the removal tall median trees that are crucial to Crenshaw Blvd's scenic highway status, increase congestion at heavily traveled cross streets, such as of Slauson and 54th, slow down the overall speed of the line, and impair an otherwise good economic development opportunities. From traffic, parking, safety, economic development and procedural standpoints, it is a mistake. As requested by the community, the neighborhood councils and the Los Angeles City Council, an underground option from 48th to 60th Street must be included among the other options under study, so when funding becomes available it can seamlessly integrated into the Crenshaw Line project without delay. MTA should avoid the mistakes of Expo while building Crenshaw.

Additionally, we disagree with staff's recommendation for the design and preliminary engineering contract. It appears Metro staff wants the board to throw aside a perfectly capable and eminently qualified team that included businesses owned by people who live in the Crenshaw Corridor, in favor a team led out of Orange County. The largest public works project in the history of South L.A. should not be designed from Orange County.

Staff is recommending the Hatch Mott McDonnell's team, over the PB Americas team, which included among others Terry Hayes of Terry Hayes Associates and Roland Wiley of RAW International. These local African-American business leaders have done all the preliminary work to date for this project going back to the early '90s, have deep roots in the Crenshaw area, have volunteered their expertise on numerous community projects, and most importantly have a strong understanding of the pulse of the Crenshaw community, because they live here.

I don't yet know why the PB Americas team was not selected, but the MTA board should overrule the staff recommendation to ensure that the promises made by elected officials to generate more jobs and a leadership role for the community are kept.

We will be working in the coming weeks to persuade the MTA Board to address these issues promptly so our region and the Crenshaw corridor communities can receive what is necessary and what we are due: a fast, safe and reliable alternative to the traffic that is clogging our streets and polluting our air.