Work on Expo Phase II Starting, Despite Lawsuit Appeal

A group of Cheviot Hills homeowners fighting the Expo Line to Santa Monica--they say the at-grade train will aggravate traffic and pose a danger to kids--kept good on their promise to appeal a judge's decision to throw out their lawsuit against Expo. A forum on the Transit Coalition has a link to the group's notice of appeal, filed late last month. The homeowners, who call themselves Neighbors for Smart Rail, are arguing that the Expo Line's environmental impact report is flawed and doesn't accurately calculate the traffic impacts of the train. In December, Judge Thomas McKnew initially ruled against NFSR and then affirmed his decision in February, prompting a promise of appeal from the homeowners. The Superior Court site indicates the group paid $655 to file the appeal (case BS125233); according to earlier posts on the Transit Coalition, the homeowners may be on the hook for Expo's legal fees (over $48,000). The appeal won't stop work on Expo II, Gabriela Collins of the Construction Authority tells us--preliminary work is already starting on the line, with pipe relocation on the right-of-way starting this month. Westwood station rendering via Streetsblog

· Expo Phase II FEIR Certification [Transit Coalition Discussion Board]