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Phase 2 Plans

 

Begining at the Culver City station, the Recommended Preferred Alternative adopted from the phase 2 Final EIR will bridge over the very busy intersection of Venice and Robertson Boulevards. The right-of-way is left of the billboard.

We endorsed this route because it is faster, much less expensive, and has greater ridership with fewer environmental impacts. Phase 2 Other Options details other routes studied.

The station serving dense Palms will be west of the existing National Blvd. bridge.

After passing through the tunnel under the freeway, the 100-foot-wide right-of-way is in this trench on the south-west edge of Cheviot Hills (to the right).

The pedestrian bridge to Palms Park (on the left) will remain (or be replaced if structurally necessary).

Also see 360° panorama!

An at-grade crossing was adopted for Overland, with traffic mitigated by adding a third lane in each direction between Coventry and Cushdon. Keeping parking on one side will remove the parkway and street trees between Cusdon and Coventry unless the traffic lanes can be slightly narrowed (10' to 9.5').

This image shows what a bridge there might have looked like.

An underpass below the Overland and Rountree storm drains would be as long as the Flower-Figueroa underpass but over twice as deep (55 feet deep vs. 25, unprecedented and clearly not practicable.

An underpass below Overland and Westwood, with station, was estimated to cost $224 million additional and cause significant construction impacts (2/4/10 agenda, item 6.a, page 8).

The section from Overland to Westwood is 200 feet wide between back fences.

We support the Green Corridor concept for a simulated stream bed and neighborhood park alongside the tracks here, instead of a surface parking lot.

A station would be on the east side of Westwood Blvd., a major bus corridor. This is projected to have has the greatest projected boardings (5,213) of all phase 2 stations

Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus #8 (National-Ocean Park — left) and #12 (Palms) lines connect to Westwood and UCLA. Culver City's #3 line from Fox Hills and Culver City connects to Century City.

A station in planned on the right-of-way at the northwest corner of Sepulveda and Exposition. The concrete plant has been sold for a future transit-oriented development.

This is proposed as an at-grade crossing, widening Sepulveda from 2 to 3 lanes. A bridge with aerial station is a Design Option.

Tracks will then bridge over Sawtelle and still fit below the I-405 bridge (yellow).

Severe traffic on Bundy calls for a bridge with aerial station here. Note the bike path (in enlarged image) and potential parking along the 100-foot-wide right-of-way

The adjacent crossing at Barrington will be at-grade, with lanes added to mitigate traffic effects.

The City of Santa Monica's current General Plan Land Use and Circulation Update is planning for mixed-use "Transit Villages" around the proposed Expo Line stations at 26th and 17th Streets.

This sketch shows Bergamot Station on the south side of Olympic, east of 26th, looking east, new housing on the left. The Water Garden office complex is across Olympic.

Detail of Bergamot Station area

The City of Santa Monica requested the Colorado option, continuing on the right-of-way to 17th, then following the median of Colorado to downtown.

Its staff report notes, “On-grade light rail corridors provide greater opportunities over time for retail businesses, enhanced pedestrian environments and walkable connections to the neighborhoods.”

Colorado photos ...

Trains will turn off of Colorado into the Santa Monica terminus station, to replace the Sears Automotive Center (left) on the southeast corner of 4th and Colorado.

This City of Santa Monica sketch (5/18/09) shows how the terminus station could look from 4th and Colorado.

(updated 2/6/10)

Summary of proposed street crossings and stations

Venice/Robertson — Grade-separate (bridge)
Bagley — At-grade crossing
National, Motor — Grade-separate (existing bridges) — center-platform station west of National
Overland, Westwood, Military — At-grade crossings — station east of Westwood
Sepulveda — At-grade crossing — station west of Sepulveda (with Design Option for bridge with aerial station)
Sawtelle, Pico — Grade-separated crossings (bridges)
Barrington — At-grade crossing
Bundy — Grade-separated crossing — center-platform station on bridge
Centinela — Grade-separated crossing (bridge)
Stewart — At-grade crossing
26th — At-grade crossing — center-platform station east of 26th (Bergamot Station)
Cloverfield, Olympic — Grade-separated crossings (bridges)
20th, 19th, 17th — At-grade crossings — center-platform station west of 17th
16th, 15th, Euclid, 12th, 10th, 9th — Closed crossings (right turns still ok)
14th, 11th, Lincoln, 7th, 6th, 5th, 4th — At-grade crossings
Terminus center-platform station east of 2nd in Colorado or on SE corner of 4th & Colorado

 

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