Oct 2013 Mtg Presentation_102513.pdf
Above is the presentation given at a meeting Tuesday night of the Purple Line Extension’s Section I Advisory Group.
There isn’t anything dramatically new in the presentation, but it does provide a nice summary of various activities taking place as the project gets ready to start construction next year for its first phase between Wilshire/Western and Wilshire/La Cienega.
One slide I’ll pull out because it’s bound to get the most attention:
I’ve already heard from a few people with similar questions along the lines of “any chance it will be done before 2023?”
There’s always a chance. That said, Metro is still in the midst of choosing a contractor to build the project, which is in itself a formidable task. The agency still, too, must lock down a federal funding agreement with the Federal Transit Administration to help pay for part of the project (Measure R is also a big contributor). The project is looking to get that squared away in early 2014.
The good news is that while those administrative tasks are being done, utility relocations have begun along the alignment and Metro is also doing further work to evaluate soil conditions and look for other obstructions that may be found underground. The point of this preparatory work is to gather as much information possible to avoid surprises and/or obstacles that could delay work. (Here is a recent post about the search for tiebacks near the Wilshire/La Cienega station).
Another issue that will impact the construction timeline is safety. It is — as it should be — the highest priority for Metro.
One other item that bears discussing: Metro has had a “Master Cooperative Agreement” with the city of Los Angeles for several years and is in the midst of hammering one out with the city of Beverly Hills. These agreements lay out how Metro and the city will work together during construction, including each parties’ responsibilities, timelines, and how Metro will reimburse the cities for their time.
Metro also wants permission to work longer hours — peak periods, nights and holidays — in order to get street level work done as quickly as possible and move construction underground — because underground work has far less impacts on traffic and quality of life. Please see this earlier post for more information about permits and work hours for the Purple Line Extension, the Crenshaw/LAX Line and the Regional Connector.
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Categories: Transportation News
“the issue with going a station at a time is that there are some sophisticated electronics systems that are difficult to put online a bit at a time”
Clearly there has to be a better explanation than that.
If that is the case, how then does Japan figure out how to open the stations as extensions instead of waiting for years for the rest of the stations to get built?
Say for example, the Tokyo Oedo Subway Line.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toei_%C5%8Cedo_Line
The first block started its operations in 1991. It kept running them as more stations got built as extensions, until the full line got completed in 2000. And Tokyo did this only in 9 years instead of taking forever like LA. And more stations are still planned for further transfers as well as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Measure R++ as Damien Newton dubs it (the re-try at extending the tax) would make accelerated construction possible.
The La Cienega stop would also be in Beverly Hills, where the city juts out to the east for a few blocks around Wilshire.
Hi Pat;
You are correct and I corrected my comment!
Thanks,
Steve Hymon
Editor, The Source
Why can’t we open the stations as they get built? Do we really have to wait for all three stations to get built for all of them to be opened? Why not open up La Brea first, then Fairfax second, and La Cienega last?
LA is the only city that opens up new stations until the others are built. Everywhere else, they open up each station for revenue service one by one as they get built.
Hi Josh;
As it has been explained to me, the issue with going a station at a time is that there are some sophisticated electronics systems that are difficult to put online a bit at a time; they’re designed to function as a whole. On the plus side, the last two major tunneling projects for Metro went very well (Eastside Gold Line and last phase Red Line) so we’ll see how everything develops.
The big thing that really needs to happen in the short-term is to issue a contract to build the subway. So everyone needs to keep their eye on that.
Steve Hymon
Editor, The Source
Will there be any stations in Beverly Hills? I know they did not want any. Also, anything new about the curve under Beverly Hills High School?
Yes there will be a station in downtown Beverly Hills just east of Wilshire & Rodeo in the second phase of the project and Wilshire & La Cienega in the first phase. I’m pretty sure that many people in the area did wanted both stations.
Steve Hymon
Editor, The Source
Hmm. 2023. Well, at least by then, most of the anti-MetroRail NIMBYs responsible for delaying it this long will have died of old age.
Ouchies. Happy Halloween!
Steve Hymon
Editor, The Source