It' down to two options for a rail transit connection over the Sepulveda Pass, following the path of Interstate 405 between the San Fernando Valley and the Westside of Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has narrowed down the options for a rail transit along Interstate 405 through the Sepulveda Pass in Los Angeles.
Steven Sharp shares the details included of a staff report scheduled for release on February 18 that recommends funding for two competing contractors to begin pre-development work. A $63.6-million contract would fund work by LA SkyRail Express to study a monorail concept for the route. A $69.8-million contract would fund Sepulveda Transit Corridor Partners – Bechtel to study a heavy rail system across the pass.
Both proposals would run on aerial tracks for sone or all of the route, though the Bechtel proposal would also include a tunnel for a portion of the route.
The staff report reduces the number of potential alternatives for the route from four to two. Sharp has been following closely the evolution of the plans for the highly anticipated capital investment, including articles in January and July of 2019. Planetizen last picked up the news about the project in January 2019, when much of the media discussion about the project focused on the engineering challenges of routing a rail line across the Sepulveda's steep grades and wealthy enclaves. A collection of existing and planned transit projects awaits on either side of the pass. The Metro D Line (née Purple Line) is expending heavy rail subway service from Koreatown deep into the Westside. In the San Fernando Valley, the East San Fernando Light Rail line is expected to start construction in 2022.
Click through to the source article to see renderings of the two remaining concepts.
FULL STORY: How to connect the San Fernando Valley and the Westside
Monorail Doesn't Measure Up for Los Angeles, Says Editorial Board
The editorial board of the Los Angeles Times is unimpressed by a plan to build a monorail between the Westside and the San Fernando Valley in the city of Los Angeles.
Rail Transit Plans Would Connect L.A.’s South Bay to the Regional Rail System
Two new transit extensions promise several new routes for South Bay residents to access the Los Angeles region’s transit system.
New Price Tag for L.A's Biggest Rail Dream: $13 Billion
The Sepulveda Transit Corridor could offer tens of thousands of Los Angeles commuters an alternative to the infamously congested I-405 freeway, if local officials can find the funding.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association