Controversial North Hollywood-Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit Line Approved

A controversial project to connect the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys by bus rapid transit has final approval. Los Angeles, Glendale, Burbank, and Pasadena will have a new connecting transit line as soon as 2024.

1 minute read

May 2, 2022, 9:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


A map of the North Hollywood-Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit Line.

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority / North Hollywood to Pasadena Transit Corridor

“L.A. County transit officials approved a bus line through a highly traveled corridor linking the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys,” reports Ryan Fonseca for LAist. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Bord of Directors approved the project’s final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on April 28, 2022.

The North Hollywood to Pasadena Transit Corridor inspired heated controversy since its original proposal in 2018. Metro released a draft EIR in Fall 2020 before encountering unexpected obstruction in Spring 2021 from Councilmember Kevin de León, who is now running for mayor. Some of the most heated controversy created by the project centered on a proposed alignment along Colorado Boulevard in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles. The final EIR includes the Colorado Boulevard alignment.

The final plan is to connect North Hollywood (a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley in the city of Los Angeles) to Pasadena, also passing through several L.A. neighborhoods in addition to the cities of Burbank and Glendale.

“The route will run roughly 19 miles with 22 stops, starting at Metro’s B/G (Red/Orange) Line Station in North Hollywood to the west and ending at Pasadena City College to the east. BRT functions more like ‘light rail on wheels,’ with enhanced stations and prioritization at intersections,” explains Fonseca.

Thursday, April 28, 2022 in LAist

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

24 minutes ago - Zachary Whalen

Overlapping highways

The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin

People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.

September 8, 2026 - Benjamin Schneider

The Hoover Dam blocking the Colorado River. The river's water level is noticeably low. The cliffs surrounding the blue water are brown and jagged.

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.

September 11, 2026 - The Arizona Republic

NYC Mayor Zohran Mandami speaks behind a blue podium.

Mamdani overhauls NYC's Vision Zero plan with 100 new policy goals

The overhaul aims to reduce traffic deaths and make streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers through lower speed limits, new safety infrastructure and more.

15 minutes ago - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

A New Jersey train approaches people waiting at the station.

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.

September 15 - Mass Transit

A tall, gray power plant billows smoke into a blue sky.

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.

September 15 - New York Times

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.