By Jeff Hall
The highlight of the Brentwood Community Council (BCC) meeting held Wednesday, Aug. 14, was a presentation by representatives of LAMetro, who discussed public transportation options that would connect the San Fernando Valley to LAX.
There would be a stop in or near Brentwood, in between the Valley and LAX.
Options presented ranged from underground tunneling to heavy rail to light rail – and a monorail that would go down the middle of the 405.
The two leftmost lanes heading in both directions (north and south) on the 405 have already been set aside for bus lanes – making it difficult to contemplate squeezing in a monorail, according to the LAMetro spokesperson.
But since no construction has started, it might be possible to reconsider the bus lanes and go in the direction of a monorail, instead.
But the monorail option is still tricky, according to LAMetro, because pillars that would hold up the monorail could create visibility issues for freeway drivers down below, especially in curvy stretches.
When compared side by side, a blended option that included tunneling, heavy rail and light rail – but no monorail – seemed to provide the most bang for the buck in terms of ridership, ride time and cost.
A Metro station will be built near Veteran and Wilshire. That plan has already been approved, and this stop will provide a way for veterans from across the region to get to and from the VA.
It’s likely the North-South Valley-to-LAX plan would include a stop at this new station near the VA – unless the East-West line from Downtown to the Westside gets extended, with an additional stop at Wilshire and Bundy, which many hope will come about.
If a station gets built at Wilshire and Bundy, LAMetro might move its North-South San Fernando Valley to LAX stop there (Wilshire and Bundy) instead of the VA.
There are many details to work out, including finding the money. Even if all goes as planned, it will take decades to complete all this.
