Metro will hold four community meetings beginning Wednesday, October 20, to update the public on the South Bay Metro Green Line Extension project. The purpose of these meetings is to seek public comments and input as the environmental process continues for extending rail service farther into the South Bay to improve mobility in southwest Los Angeles County.
Metro is currently preparing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement / Environmental Impact Report (DEIS/DEIR) to identify transit improvements that would provide an alternative to the I-405 corridor by accessing the regional rail network through connections to the proposed Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor, currently under environmental review.
As part of the Draft EIS/EIR, Metro will assess existing conditions in the study area, further refine the project alternatives, assess their potential impacts and identify possible and reasonable mitigation measures.
Two ‘build’ alternatives are being considered in the DEIS/DEIR. The Light Rail Alterative will evaluate extending the Metro Green Line from its current terminus at the Redondo Beach Station to the proposed Torrance Regional Transit Center (RTC).
The freight track alternative will evaluate operating self propelled rail transit vehicles on the Harbor Subdivision right-of-way using upgraded rail tracks from the El Segundo/LAX area to the proposed Torrance RTC. In addition the Draft EIS/EIR will evaluate the No Build and Transportation Systems Management alternatives.
The public is encouraged to attend the community meetings and provide their input. Discussed at the meetings will be a project overview and update, a recap of the Scoping Meetings that took place earlier this year and a progress report on the project alternatives and proposed station locations.
The following is a list of upcoming meetings:
•Wednesday, October 20, 2010 (6-8 p.m.) Nakano Theater, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance. (Served by Torrance Transit Lines 1 and 8)
•Thursday, October 21, 2010 (6-8 p.m.) Lawndale Christian Church, 4234 W. 147th Street, Lawndale. (Served by Metro Lines 40 and 125 and Gardena Transit Line 1)
•Monday, October 25, 2010 (6-8 p.m.) North Redondo Senior Center, Perry Park, 2308 Rockefeller Lane, Redondo Beach.(Served by Metro Line 130 and Torrance Transit Line 8)
•Tuesday, October 26, 2010 (6-8 p.m.) Flight Path Learning Center, 6661 West Imperial Highway, Los Angeles. (Served by beach City Transit Line 109)
The study area encompasses approximately 30 square miles and includes the cities of El Segundo, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Lawndale, Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach and Torrance as well as the Del Aire and Lennox areas of unincorporated LA County.
The project is partially funded under Measure R, the half-cent sales tax approved by the voters in November 2008. Under Measure R, the project is provided $272 million in funding for the Metro Green Line Extension to the South Bay Corridor. This project is contained in the constrained element of the 2009 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP).
For information on the project and the Draft EIS/EIR process the public can call 1-800-266-6883 or visit www.metro.net/southbayextension for additional information.
Rail to the South Bay has been studied for at least 30 years in my memory. It was expected to go south west of Hawthorne at one time.
As a test, I rode the Green Line from Redondo Beach to downtown Los Angeles and found that it takes more than twice the time by automobile. Thus, the ridership tends to be those without cars, I believe. For me to use this new proposed line extension, I would have to spend about 15 minutes walking to the station. For those without “wheels”, it would be great. I do not expect to use this extension very much.
Sixty years ago, I rode the “red car” a lot and found it useful to go to Long Beach, Inglewood, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Glendale, Santa Monica, etc.