Metro to Hold Public Meetings for Westside Subway Plans

Three public meetings are scheduled this week to give residents a chance to learn about the project's final environmental report

Just days after the announcement of its much-anticipated Expo Line opening, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to hold a series of public meetings this week about its final environmental report for the Purple Line extension.

Metro has completed its final Environmental Impact Report for its planned Westside Subway Extension Project, and will hold the meetings to give residents the chance to ask questions about the plan.

"We did a lot of concerted and thorough environmental work to reach this point," said Dave Sotero, Metro spokesman. "It gives the public the opportunity to meet in their project area of the subway."

The meetings will be held at three different locations on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, with each being scheduled from 5 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Under two different funding plans, both of which would include federal financing because of the sheer size of the proposed line, the project could be completed as early as 2022 or as late as 2036, depending on how much federal funding is available.

The estimated cost of the project is upwards of $5-6 billion.

The proposed seven-station project will connect the Purple Line from its current Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue station westward along the Miracle Mile area, into Century City and UCLA, ending at VA Hospital in Westwood.

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The line is expected to carry nearly 50,000 passengers per day and offer much faster transit times compared to driving.

"Subway service could get you from downtown to the Westside in 25 minutes," Sotero said.

But the project has had its share of criticism, especially in the Beverly Hills area, where the proposed plan would include construction under Beverly Hills High School, which has its own modernization plans.

A panel of seismic experts determined last October that a line would be safer being built under the high school than Santa Monica Boulevard, where some residents are suggesting the be built instead.

Citizens also shouldn't worry about noise and vibration during operations, according to Sotero.

 "The tunneling we do is so far underneath the ground," he said. "It's earthquake country. We have to create more rigorous subway lines."

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