Villaraigosa says local governments should unite in effort to finish Westside subway [Updated]

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa called today for speeding up construction of the $6.1-billion Westside subway extension, currently scheduled for completion in 2036 -- when he will be 78. [Updated at 3:10 p.m.: The subway would only reach Westwood by 2036, and the mayor would be 83. The cost at that point would be $4.1-billion. The entire $6.1-billon project would extend the line to Santa Monica, and no timetable has been set for that.]

As the most outspoken advocate for the so-called Subway to the Sea, the mayor has long been frustrated by that timetable and it was evident again when he and other officials gathered for a news conference in a UCLA parking lot. There, final soil samples had been drawn for a line that would follow Wilshire Boulevard from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica.

"I’m 56 now,” the mayor said. “We are here today to make sure that it gets built before I am 66.”

The key, Villaraigosa and the others said, is for local governments to put aside their differences over planned transportation projects and create a coordinated effort to secure enough federal money to expedite the subway extension as well as other key projects called for in Measure R, the county’s half-cent sales tax for transportation projects passed in November.

“We need a unified approach to get federal money," said Glendale Councilman Ara Najarian, who chairs the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority board of directors. "We need to bring the MTA board together. If it all comes together, we will be a force to be reckoned with. We will be able to advance all our projects.”

-- Dan Weikel

Photo: L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.  Credit: Los Angeles Times

Comments

[D]

AMEN! they are finally getting it. get this damn thing built to santa monica with the west hollywood branch in less than 6 years. every other country in the world can do it, why not the USA damn it.

[vince n]

Now why did they tear out the red car trolleys back in the 40's again??? (Umm, if Mayor Villaraigosa is 56 in 2009, he will be 83 in the year 2036. Where did 78 come from?).

[Doug]

It's not fair for Santa Monica to get TWO mass transit lines while the rest of the region either has crappy bus ROW or nothing at all.

Yes, build the pink line AND the subway, but end it at a station that merges with the Expo line just west of the 405.

This would someday be a major station that intersects with a line from the valley south to LAX.

[Rafael Antonio Chavez]

I just got back from Chicago where I experienced the marvelous function of mass transit in a truly wonderful city. Coming home to L.A. freeway traffic with no other viable option reminded me of how archaic our system of transportation is. The future of Los Angeles as a great city is dependent on how we address this dilemma.

[jONNY rEb]

The reason why this won't happen...is because it makes too much sense. This is a classic case of too many chefs in the kitchen. This country can certainly do the spectacular (mission to the moon, reusable spacecraft, etc.) but has a rather hard time doing the practical, like another 8 miles of subway. I....don't....get....it.

[concerned person]

2036 is ridiculous. there's enough money in the stimulus package set aside for public transit for this to be done on a more reasonable timetable

[marie]

Why aren't we using the exposition blvd rail lines to hurry this project up? I'm sick of rich people blocking light rail development in SoCal. Get off your butts and make THAT happen, Tony.

[Warren]

I say go with light rail to the sea. Do the West Hollywood line and a north/south line along the 405 FWY into the valley to LAX. When is the Green line going to get funded to go into LAX? Run another metro rail line along the 210 Fwy into Pasadena where the Gold line end. Every line can be completed within 10 years and $6.1 Billion with my plan.

[lsm]

We slit our own throats when we pretend we lead independent lives in LA County. The Westside Subway will allow Downtown and the Westside to continue to provide good jobs and a healthy tax base for our region. If we fail to invest in this vital infrastructure now to support our county's economic dynamos, we will all quickly suffer. And as long as we decry spending money to build this necessary transit ten miles distant from our homes, lest we do not get something built in our own neighborhoods first, we will get next to nothing done. The choice is ours; we can thrive together or flounder individually.

[Jake]

It is so ridiculous taking the subway to the end of the line at wilshire/western and then wait 10 minutes to board a SRO bus! Why? Because they same folks who want to keep the subway away from Beverly Hills are the same folks that ensured the orange line didn't touch their precious area in the valley.

[D]

Marie, the expo line is a completely different line serving a totally different area.

Doug, of course its fair that Santa Monica gets two lines to end there. its an extremely popular place for locals and tourists, has lots to offer and has been proactive in its approach to rail. Santa Monica will be a western version of Union Station in years to come with the 405 Parallel line also connecting there as will a green line extension and so on. Remember, the Expo and Purple are not the only two lines being built in LA, there are literally over 10 planned new rail lines for the area and plenty of areas that deserve rail will get it.

Rafael, from my understanding, Chicago only has good rail coverage in the loop area and the rest of the city is not that great in regards to rail coverage. With all the lines we are adding, we will have more rail miles and stations than Chicago within 10 years.

Warren, light rail does not have to capacity to handle Wilshire Blvd, not to mention compatibility with the current line down Wilshire. The Wilshire subway is going to be one of the busiest lines in all of America. Also, there is a 405 parallel line in the long range plans, and i believe that is a very important line. I think it has to be a Subway through the hills and connecting with the Purple line at UCLA, with EXPO in Santa Monica and heading to LAX. The Green line connection is one of the first to be funded by Measure R and the Gold Line extension, although ready to go, will not have a very high ridership to warrant the cost right now with so many other lines necessary.

[Westside Steve]

Mr. Mayor, you need to be speaking to your city attorneys to get this to happen as the locals will never cooperate and residents will block things with petty legal manuevers.

LESSON 1: In order to build the JFK Expressway in the 1950's in Boston, the residents who refused buy-outs were forceably removed, given 1 dollar and court date so construction could proceed for the greater good of the region.

LESSON 2: The Washington DC subway became a reality because a federal court FORCED Virginia, the District and Maryland into a shared funding program and over-rode local objections with a federal court decision which withstood appeal: again for the greater good of the region. Its a wonderful system I used to ride regularly.

PLan and execute the legal maneuvers BEFORE the obstructionists and we might be able to ride to the sea by 2025. When they sue, sue them back for full court costs: cripple the others with fear. Its the only way.

[kristin]

Normally, I'm a big fan of public transit, but I don't trust the MTA one bit. The MTA board is heavily weighted with Los Angeles politicians, leaving the rest of the county without much of a voice in using COUNTY-WIDE funds. There is no guarantee that once the subway to the sea is finished, the MTA Board will fully fund mass transit projects in other parts of the county. My fear is that once the subway is finished, the same Westsiders who support Measure R will call for a tax cut and thereby starve mass transit projects in other parts of the county.

Based on past behavior, the MTA board would be more than willing to do this.

[SouthBayKen]

Look we passed Measure R. Let's move on. The SGV and other areas that didn't support it, should be lucky they're getting anything. Last I heard, the Gold Line Foothill Ext. is on the Long Range MTA plan and could be built in entirety by 2017. Or, at least the ext. to Azuza will be done by then. We need to come together and understand this isn't a Westside vs. Eastside or any other place competition. We go where the rail is most needed and the Westside hasn't got their share and has the most need. (I know a few who have to do the I.E. to Westside commute now and then and think if u could take the rails to Century City...would be pretty cool!!).
Also, let's not forget the Feds. They goofed on not allowing more stimulus funds to be used on long lasting public works projects like in the WPA days. (Case in point, see today's LAT article on the Stimulus funds). I wouldn't be so upset w/the stimulus spending if it went towards a massive investment in L.A.'s and other deserving metropolises' mass transit infrastructure build-out... lets come together, my Angelenos!!! In the meantime, I'll head to Tokyo and ride their wonderful transit system. Sorry, Chicago, Tokyo has a better transit system hands down!

[SGV]

If LA were the only city in LA County or represented on the MTA, then yes this project makes all the sense in the world. But no, there are 88 cities in this County that are paying increased sales tax (Measure R) for regional transportation. LA missed the boat to get a subway. Chicago and NY did it in the early 1900s. We will get more bang for the buck for more cities with light rail. Mayor V, think broader than your money people from the westside. Be a regional leader not a sellout.

[call_me_cassandra]

Thanks, Zev and Congressman Waxman, for successfully blocking this project nearly 25 years ago. All Angelenos should keep in mind that without Zev and the congressman trying desperately to keep undesirables out of Beverly Hills, this subway extension would have been built by now, more cheaply than it ever can be at this point, and traffic along Wilshire and other nearby east-west arteries considerably reduced.

Our elected officials at work. And would you believe it, they're still on the job, so they must be pleasing somebody.

[Louie]

This city could learn a real lesson from Portland, OR... Then again, a big part of the reason that Portland has been so successful with their Mass Transit has a lot to do with the urban boundary regulations that L.A. is too far buried in sprawl to ever come close to.

[Jody Litvak]

For those of you interested in following along with planning for the Subway or any of the other Metro projects currently undergoing environmental evaluation (Regional Connector, Crenshaw Transit Corridor, etc.), I invite you to come to www.metro.net. You can find information on each of the studies and projects there, and sign up to be contacted about progress on the project that interests you. You can also use our Measure R tracker to follow along on projects slated to receive those funds or check the update of the Long Range Transportation Plan for LA County.

For those of you specifically interested in the subway, please go directly to our site at www.metro.net/westside. Go to "News & Info" to get the latest information on subway planning and to see what has been developed so far during our study efforts. Go to "Contact Us" to put your views on the record, ask a question, or tell us how to reach you so we can keep you informed of our developments including future community meetings. I also invite you to join our growing "Metro Westside Subway Extension" group on Facebook.

Jody Litvak
Metro Westside Subway Extension Team

[elleneyegreen]

Then he'll want it extended to Mexico...

[Ramon]

Villadisgracefull, can you ask your buddy Obama, why over 1 trillion dollars of the stimulus money gone to foreign countries, yet we can not get a simple subway project off the ground in this country? Thank you. I'll be waiting for an answer, since Berni-bigmac can not explaing this phenomena.

[KinOfCain]

@SGV: "We will get more bang for the buck for more cities with light rail." Actually that's not true if you look at ridership, the purple line is forecast to get greater ridership miles per dollar spent than any of the planned light rail lines. That's why it's a priority. And saying "There's 88 cities other than LA" is a bit silly. Projects should be prioritized based on impact per dollar spent, and the purple line, while spending a crapload of dollars, still has the best bang for the buck.

[seb]

"AMEN! they are finally getting it. get this damn thing built to santa monica with the west hollywood branch in less than 6 years. every other country in the world can do it, why not the USA damn it."

^^ That's because we argue to much.

[Tom]

Let's give this mayor a little credit. After all, he was successful in convincing some politicians to lift the ban on drilling on Wilshire and successfully pushed passage of measure R. If previous mayors had done a quarter of what he has done so far we wouldn't have been in this nightmare.

[kwvin]

Villaraigosa is a complete joke.
He has done nothing for Los Angeles, he backs heads of departments that are completely incompetent and which he won't even recognise until they become under investigation for rape and worse - his only interest was fame and governorship - which because of his incomptence has gone out the window -- why is Villaraigosa still mayor? He doesn't care.

[lsm]

Enough with the internecine backbiting! Squabbling about whether gerrymandering a light rail line to connect 87 of the 88 cities in LA County would be more equitable than investing in a subway line to allow our region's economic engines to flourish is incredibly myopic. We can no longer bicker about whether or not Measure R funds go to a Foothill Extension before a Westside Subway. We are losing a real battle about whether federal and/or state funds go to a Purple Line to help all of us in LA County or to a Central Subway to help all in the Bay Area or to a Second Avenue Extension to help all in Manhattan or to an Orange Line Extension to help all in Northern Virginia. We have dithered into a real mess here in LA County and we only stick with our losing tradition by squabbling about our pet rail projects while other regions surge past us. We must make the best case we can to get federal and state funds for one of the most vitally needed transit projects in California and in the US. Anything else is folly.

[Montague M.]

The subway to the sea will not work, the LACMTA wants to build two rail line that go the same ways, Expo and Purple will both meet each other at both ends of the city of Los Angeles. The people who want both of these to go up do not realize the effects it is going to have on the working poor that is being robbed blind by Metro, it is either one or the other, and it seems like the supporters of both lines going up are not satisfied. Understand: YOU WILL HAVE TO WAIT 30 YEARS BEFORE THE SUBWAY IS EVEN completed, there are other ways to reduce greenhouse gases and reduce car use on the freeways that serve the westside. Improve the metro Rapid Service, allow the Big Blue Bus to serve Wilshire/ Western from Pico BLVD, update the LADOT Commuter Express service to run on the 10 freeway and 405 freeway in both directions both heading to Los Angeles in the morning and to the westside and vise versa. Create carpool and HOV along it aswell. The subway is not the answer and it will not be sustainable in the Long run.

[Tom]

The subway to the sea will not work, the LACMTA wants to build two rail line that go the same ways, Expo and Purple will both meet each other at both ends of the city of Los Angeles. The people who want both of these to go up do not realize the effects it is going to have on the working poor that is being robbed blind by Metro, it is either one or the other, and it seems like the supporters of both lines going up are not satisfied. Understand: YOU WILL HAVE TO WAIT 30 YEARS BEFORE THE SUBWAY IS EVEN completed, there are other ways to reduce greenhouse gases and reduce car use on the freeways that serve the westside. Improve the metro Rapid Service, allow the Big Blue Bus to serve Wilshire/ Western from Pico BLVD, update the LADOT Commuter Express service to run on the 10 freeway and 405 freeway in both directions both heading to Los Angeles in the morning and to the westside and vise versa. Create carpool and HOV along it aswell. The subway is not the answer and it will not be sustainable in the Long run.

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I don't think the person who wrote this has ever been stuck on one of these metro rapid buses on Wilshire for hours like I have. From Santa Monica to Veterans hospital takes me an hour which is about 10 minute commute. There is simply no where to go. All lanes are jammed. I don't understand what you mean by "improve Metro Line Service" unless you mean giving them flying capabilities. Also, HOV and Carpool lanes have done nothing to relieve traffic. 405 southbound has an HOV lane. Has it solved any problem? In fact, 405 north bound from 10 freeway to 101 freeway which does not have a carpool lane moves faster than the segment from 101 to 118 which does have a HOV lane. Come on people. Try building a rail line parallel to 405 which is the real solution instead of wasting millions on building HOV lanes. LA's population will be doubled by couple of decades. What good is your HOV lane? If you build a rail line, then you can easily accommodate the increased ridership by simply adding couple of cars on the train.