Metro is working on improving connections at their train stations--work starts in October on an underground walkway between the Red and Orange Lines in North Hollywood. Now we're hearing, via the Transit Coalition comment board, that long-gestating plans for a pedestrian connection at the Universal City Red Line station are finally coming to fruition. According to renderings and schematics, the bridge would traverse Lankershim Boulevard, making it safer to cross from the subway to the Universal marquee, NBCUniversal's entrance, and the tram to CityWalk. The steel bridge would be "visually light and transparent," open-air (no roof), with covered escalators, stairs, and elevators at both ends of the bridge. While the point is to facilitate access to all three corners of Lankershim and Campo de Cahuenga, and separate pedestrians from the often crazy traffic at this intersection, it could be argued that the bridge burdens subway-riders as they'll have to rise to surface-level, ascend the bridge, and then get back to street-level to reach Universal. On the bright side, folks will no longer have to dodge cars racing for Ventura.
According to Metro's Marc Littman, "The Metro Board of Directors last month approved the pedestrian bridge over Lankershim as part of a settlement agreement with Universal to resolve mitigation issues dating back to when we constructed the subway there. The original plan called for a pedestrian tunnel under Lankershim but the bids were rejected due to high cost so the compromise was the bridge which will facilitate access to all three corners of the Lankershim and Campo de Cahuenga intersection and improve pedestrian safety at the busy intersection. The cost is estimated at $19.5 million and the bridge should be completed in 2014 with construction starting sometime next year."
· NoHo's Red/Orange Line Connector to Start Work in October [Curbed LA]
· NBCUniversal Drops All Housing From Huge Development Plans [Curbed LA]
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