Three things to know about Orange Line Improvements project as public meetings begin

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The Orange Line often gets stuck at red lights, slowing travel times across the Valley. Photo by Steve Hymon/Metro.

•The project aims to improve bus travel times by adding crossing gates and/or grade separations to the Orange Line to get buses through intersections in the San Fernando Valley more quickly.

•The time savings could be significant. For example, one scenario that would add crossing gates at 30 intersections and a one-mile bridge from Sepulveda to Van Nuys boulevards could cut 13 minutes of ride time between NoHo and Canoga Station and 16 minutes between NoHo and Chatsworth Stations. More details are here.

•The goal is to break ground on the project in 2019 and finish it by 2025. This project is a good way to make the Orange Line better and prepare it for its eventual conversion to light rail.

A round of public meetings on the Orange Line Improvements project will be held beginning later this month. The meeting times:

North Hollywood 
Wednesday, November 29, 2017, 6-8 p.m.
North Hollywood Recreation Center –Senior Building
11430 Chandler Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601

Canoga Park 
Thursday, November 30, 2017, 6-8 p.m.
Rose Goldwater Community Center
21710 Vanowen Street
Canoga Park, CA 91303

Van Nuys 
Saturday, December 2, 2017, 10 a.m. to Noon.
Marvin Braude Constituent Center
6262 Van Nuys Blvd.
Van Nuys, CA 91401

Online Event 
Thursday, December 7, 2017, 6:30pm
Live webinar at  tinyurl.com/metroorangeline

All Metro meetings are held in ADA accessible facilities and are accessible by transit. Spanish translation provided. ADA accommodations and other translations are available by calling 323.466.3876 or California Relay Service at 711 at least 72 hours in advance.

For those unable to attend a meeting, comments will also be accepted via email, the online comment form and regular mail at:

Fulgene Asuncion
One Gateway Plaza
Mail Stop 99-22-4
Los Angeles, CA 90012

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10 replies ›

  1. I know the speed of the Orange Line is your primary concern. But what about delays to local vehicular traffic crossing north/south. Even today it frequently takes in excess of 90 seconds for cars turning left off Chandler. How much more delay will the gates, planned for virtually every intersection, add to the daily crawl of countless Valley/City car commuters? And how much more pollution will stalled local drivers be forced to spew into the environment?

  2. Has Metro considered extending the Orange Line busway south through the Sepulveda Pass?

    • Hi Mike;

      Not that I know of. Metro, however, has a project called the Sepulveda Transit Corridor that will build a high-capacity line between the Orange Line and LAX in three phases. Phase one is ExpressLanes on the 405, phase two is Orange Line to Purple Line, phase three is Purple Line to LAX.

      Steve Hymon
      Editor, The Source

  3. In front of pierce college the left arrow is way to short. I just see this giving more time to line and less to residents. Please increase traffic flow and decrease time on the line.

  4. If the MTA would just partner with the DOT to make the Orange Line crossing like those that agency like METRO LINK enjoy where the lights change to red and gates come down as a bus approaches and crosses the intersection bridges would not be required and service would become much more reliable. Instead the MTA is proposing a huge project that could be accomplished with just proper signal timing and interface. This suggestion could also be implemented on the Blue and Expo Lines in downtown L.A. If the MTA and the city encourage rapid and reliable transit, measures must be taken to achieve those goals.

  5. Will the bridge be built before Van Nuys and past Sepulveda? If NOT I think it is a waste of money and a contractors dream. I say put a crossing gates at Kester and DWP road, and close off Vesper street. Closing Vesper will give them a half mile interrupted stretch.

  6. By the time the orange line improvements are done (including the expansion to Pasadena), it’ll be just as efficient as a light rail for the most part (especially if the Warner center station is removed as rumored). I still don’t see the point of turning it into a light rail given that the money could be used elsewhere.

    • Hi Anon;

      The proposal is scheduled to go to the S.F. Service Council in early 2018 with a goal of implementing later in the year, possibly as early as the June changes.

      Steve Hymon
      Editor, The Source