Traffic officials have abruptly put the brakes on a plan to widen a portion of Sunset Boulevard in Brentwood.
Last month, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation proposed adding an additional eastbound lane on Sunset, from Barrington Avenue to Gunston Drive.
Officials had asked the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to fund about $4 million of the project's estimated $6.1 million price tag, The Los Angeles Times reported:
The DOT shelved the project at the request of Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, whose district includes Brentwood. Rosendahl said he initially supported the department's funding application because he believed the money would not be restricted to a specific road proposal. But Rosendahl said he learned the money would be limited to widening Sunset Boulevard, a proposal to which there was "tremendous opposition."
Hundreds of residents contacted Rosendahl, questioning whether adding a lane would effectively ease traffic congestion. They also said the proposal was not properly vetted, and that widening Sunset violated existing community plans to preserve the scenic highway.
"I am open to suggestions for what to do with Sunset. Nobody has a magic bullet at this point,” Rosendahl told the newspaper.
