A coalition of elected officials, labor and businesses representatives Wednesday announced support for a proposed heavy rail project that would connect the San Fernando Valley to the Westside.
The Metro Board of Directors is expected to vote Thursday on design plans for the Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project Locally Preferred Alternatives.
Of five options originally proposed, the board is expected to consider what is referred to Modified Alternative 5. The board’s Planning and Programming Committee has recommended approval of that plan, a heavy rail transit option that would run underground between the Van Nuys Metrolink Station and the E Line Expo/Sepulveda Station.
The proposal would be modified to include a connection to the Metro G Line and the future East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Line at Van Nuys Boulevard.
On Wednesday morning, one day ahead of the agency’s vote, Los Angeles City Council members Nithya Raman, Imelda Padilla, Monica Rodriguez and Adrin Nazarian joined L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath to express their support for Modified Alternative 5 alongside state Sen. Henry Stern, D-Calabasas, and John Alford, speaking for Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks.
The elected officials represent neighborhoods in the San Fernando Valley.
Horvath said the project will represent a shift if more people decide to take transit rather than drive their cars.
“Only 2% of people can make their way through the (Sepulveda) Pass every day using public transportation,” Horvath said. “What we have before us is the potential to take more than a quarter of those 400,000 daily commuters out of their cars, off the 405, and onto public transit.”
Raman echoed Horvath’s message, noting how frustrating it can be to drive on the San Diego (405) Freeway during rush hour. In a bid to address traffic, transit agencies spent $1.5 billion on the Sepulveda Pass Improvements Project in 2010, which added a 10-mile high-occupancy vehicle lane on the northbound side of the 405 between the Santa Monica (10) and Ventura (101) freeways.
“After five years of construction, congestion did not change. We learned the hard way what transportation experts have known for decades: You can’t really build your way out of traffic,” Raman said. “So, if we are serious about resolving congestion, we need a true alternative to sitting in your car on the 405.”
The East San Fernando Valley Line is being built in two phases. The first phase will establish a 6.7-mile light rail with 11 stations along Van Nuys Boulevard from the G Line to San Fernando Road.
Rodriguez, who represents northeast San Fernando Valley communities such as Pacoima and Sylmar, also hailed the project, and urged Metro’s Board of Directors to ensure the modified plans move forward.
The councilwoman noted that the board voted last year to end the future East San Fernando Valley Line at the interim terminus at Van Nuys/San Fernando Road. Instead of constructing an additional full light rail extension, Metro decided to build an infill Metrolink station at the end, which will then connect to a 2.5-mile segment to Metrolink’s Sylmar/San Fernando Station.
Metro’s decision not to extend the light rail to Metrolink’s Sylmar/San Fernando Station was based on reducing costs and addressing environmental concerns raised by San Fernando city officials.
Rodriguez emphasized how historically the San Fernando Valley has been left short of completed projects in many instances. Plans for the Sepulveda corridor would provide a connection from light rail to the proposed underground heavy rail system.
“I’m here to stand in solidarity with all of my colleagues in underscoring today that what we’re here to do is not just advocate for the adoption of this plan, but to ensure that phase two is a complete project that is executed to ensure the full value and benefit of this project for residents, here in the San Fernando Valley attempting to get to the Westside,” Rodriguez said.
She said the project will benefit students traveling to UCLA, workers and veterans who seek aid at West Los Angeles Veteran Affairs Medical Center.
Modified Alternative 5 would provide nearly 13 miles of rail with seven stations. At the northern point of the proposed rail system, one station would be located at the Van Nuys Metrolink Station, followed by three unique underground stations at Sherman Way, Metro G Line on Oxnard Street, and Ventura Boulevard.
Four additional underground stations would be proposed at UCLA, (called UCLA Gateway Plaza), at Wilshire Boulevard/Metro D Line, at Santa Monica Boulevard, and a final connection to the Metro E Line Expo/Sepulveda Station.
Metro estimated the cost for the project could be between $20 billion and $25 billion. The transit agency has identified some funding from Measure M, a 2016-voter approved half-cent sales tax to support transit projects, which support the Sepulveda Transit Corridor Transit Project.
Metro officials previously considered other options that explored combinations of monorail, heavy rail, underground and aerial systems. These options varied in cost, length and service frequency, among other factors.
Plans expected to be considered Thursday have been opposed by homeowner associations. Some homeowners in Bel Air, for example, have criticized and opposed any proposal for an underground rail system.
Tunneling for the underground rail system would take place between Bel Air and Beverly Crest, according to Metro documents.