Metro is pleased by the Beverly Hills City Council’s decision on Tuesday to support its closure request of Wilshire Boulevard to help speed up construction of the Wilshire/Rodeo Station for the Purple Line Extension of the subway.
The closure will allow Metro’s contractors to complete decking for the Wilshire/Rodeo station sooner than expected and will help us minimize future construction impacts to local businesses as they struggle to overcome the impacts of the COVID-19 health crisis.
Background
On March 31, the Beverly Hills City Council voted unanimously to approve a temporary full closure of Wilshire Boulevard in both directions between North Beverly Drive and North Crescent Drive in Beverly Hills.
The temporary street closure of Wilshire Boulevard will expedite construction for Section 2 of Metro’s Purple Line Extension project. The closure is expected to be for the duration of the Safer-at-Home orders issued by the State and County.
While the closure is temporary, Metro and the City of Beverly Hills are committed to completing as much construction work as possible during this difficult time for local businesses. It is anticipated that the increase in construction activities during the closure will minimize construction impacts during the future economic recovery period that will follow the COVID-19 pandemic. During the closure, Metro and its contractor will adhere to strict social distancing protocols and other recommendations as set by local public health experts and the CDC.
Detours of Metro’s 20 and 720 bus lines around the work zone are being coordinated with the City of Beverly Hills to minimize disruption to the essential transportation services provided by Metro to our customers. Implementation of the closure is expected to begin tomorrow, April 2.
One of Metro’s priority projects, the Purple Line Extension is a critically important rail project that will extend the Purple Line subway for nine miles from its current terminus at Wilshire/Western Station to the Westwood/VA Hospital. The project is being built in three sections and will provide a high-capacity, high-speed and dependable alternative for commuters to travel between downtown Los Angeles, the Miracle Mile, Beverly Hills and Westwood.
Section 2 of the Purple Line Extension to Wilshire/Rodeo and Century City Constellation is scheduled to open in the summer of 2025.
Categories: Projects
So what are the alternative stops. People don’t know where to board or exit the bus? Wilshire/Rodeo stop for example what is the alternative?
I thought all the names had switched over already? Is there a reason this isn’t being called the D line extension? If the name change has occurred, it would be helpful if Metro staff referred to it by its new name.
Hi Andrew;
We haven’t changed the names of the projects yet as a lot of non-riders who live near the projects know them by their names. That may change but not the first priority right now for obvious reasons.
Steve Hymon
Editor, The Source
The faster I can get to Westwood, the better, as I live in Whittier. The Gold Line and Purple Line extensions cannot come fast enough.
This is a good thing.
I hope that more government projects use this as an opportunity.