Metro to Hold Public Hearings on Crenshaw Transit Corridor Project
Community to Review DEIS/DEIR Document
September 11, 2009
After two years of studying options for a new transit system for the Crenshaw Corridor, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is encouraging public comment on draft environmental documents at four public hearings scheduled throughout the community in late September and early October.
These hearings provide the opportunity for the public to comment on the modal alternatives, Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), and design options being considered in the Draft Environment Impact Statement/Draft Environment Impact Report (DEIS/DEIR) for a critical transportation project that will serve the communities along the heavily traversed Crenshaw Corridor as well as the South Bay and the region as a whole.
These communities have historically been underserved by transit investments, and the project will not only improve local mobility but also will generate jobs directly and indirectly for the entire region.
The project is a major north-south investment in the Crenshaw District area, potentially providing relief for the I-405 and I-110 Freeways. It also will be a major connection to LAX connecting the Metro Green Line to the south and the Expo Line to the north and potentially to the Wilshire Corridor (bus rapid transit only). The project would provide connections to the entire Metro Rail system and its more than 2,100 peak-hour buses.
The study area for the Crenshaw Corridor Project includes the cities of Los Angeles, Inglewood, Hawthorne, El Segundo and portions of unincorporated Los Angeles County and covers approximately a 33-square mile area from Wilshire Boulevard to the north, El Segundo Boulevard to the South, Arlington Avenue on the east and Sepulveda Boulevard and La Tijera Boulevard/La Brea Avenue on the west. Download:
Crenshaw Corridor Project map.
The BRT alternative is 12 miles in length with the travel times estimated at 28 to 30 minutes from the Metro Green Line to the Expo Line or 39 to 41 minutes from Metro Green Line to Wilshire Boulevard/Western Avenue. There will be eight stations along the alignment with up to four stations north of Exposition Boulevard to Wilshire/Western. Cost is estimated at $500 million to $600 million in today’s dollars. The jobs created during the construction phase are estimated to be 3,500.
The LRT alternative will be 8.5 miles in length with the travel times estimated at 20 minutes from the Metro Green Line to Expo Line. This alternative provides for seven stations plus an option for one more. The base cost of the project is estimated at $1.3 billion in today’s dollars. Various design options cost between $11 million to $255 million and would add to the total project cost. Job creation is estimated at 7,800.
Funding will come from Measure R, the half-cent sales tax initiative approved by voters last November to improve the region’s mobility and create the transportation infrastructure needed to help resolve traffic congestion, air pollution and enhance economic development in Los Angeles County.
Comments received at the upcoming public hearings will help determine the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) that will move into final environmental clearance for the Crenshaw Transit Corridor Project. Based on the environmental document and comments received, the Metro Board of Directors will select the LPA later this year.
The complete listing of public hearings is as follows:
- Wilshire United Methodist Church Hall of Fellowship: Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009, 6-8 p.m.; 4350 Wilshire Blvd., LA, CA 90010; served by Metro Bus lines 38, 210, 710.
- West Angeles Church Crystal Room: Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009, 6-8 p.m.; 3045 Crenshaw Blvd., LA, CA 90016; served by Metro Bus lines 38, 210, 710.
- Inglewood High School Cafeteria: Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009, 10 a.m.-Noon; 231 S. Grevillea Ave., Inglewood, CA 90301; served by Metro Bus lines 40, 111, 115, 212, 740;
- Transfiguration Church Hall: Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009, 6-8 p.m.; 2515 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., LA, CA 90008; served by Metro Bus lines 40, 42.
At the beginning of each meeting, there will be an open house format where Metro will provide the public opportunities to speak with project representatives and view study display maps and the environmental document. After a project presentation, including its purpose and need, Metro will request public input through the submission of written and verbal comments.
Metro encourages public participation in the critical process of determining the Crenshaw Corridor’s transit future and its relationship to the quality of life in the corridor communities.
Those unable to attend the meetings can submit their comments in writing to Roderick Diaz, Metro Planning Project Manager, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), Mail Stop 99-22-3, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Comments may also be submitted through e-mail at
diazroderick@metro.net or by phone on the project information line at (213) 922-2736. Comments should be received no later than Monday, October 26, 2009 by 5 p.m. More project information and a downloadable version of the DEIS/DEIR are available at
www.metro.net/crenshaw