Quote:
Originally Posted by SFBruin
Unpopular opinion here (most likely), but I actually feel like the construction of the Expo Line, particularly between La Brea and Sepulveda, is really cheap and needs to be re-done.
I feel like the constant elevation and de-elevation between these two points is a little bit nauseating and should have been smoothed out.
I can't help but think that it was value-engineered a bit.
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Actually, it was more expensive to elevate and de-elevate the Expo Line than keeping it at grade the entire way. Yet I’ll admit it was cheaper to return to grade as often as possible between the locales they wanted it elevated vs keeping it elevated the entire way. Never-the-less, building a tunnel under I-10 was probably more expensive than building an even higher viaduct over it, I would think the nearby neighborhoods would have preferred the tunnel over a higher viaduct. One could argue they could have built the entire Expo Line elevated the entire way all the way into downtown east of La Brea as well.
But, like almost everybody else, transit agencies must provide all their services within a finite budget. An additional expense here means less money is available there. It’s a balancing act, trying to get the most value for each and every penny. And that’s what we should be celebrating instead of questioning every attempt to save here so more can be spent there.