It's been a long road for the Expo Line light rail, which, when completed in a few years, will be the first LA rail line to reach the Pacific since the days of yore (the mid-twentieth century). The first half, from DTLA to Culver City, was fought and delayed over a street-level crossing at Farmdale Avenue (which led to an additional station), but the second half had to contend with some of the most obstructionist NIMBYs seen since the days of the Wilshire subway plan in the eighties. A group of Westsiders called Neighbors for Smart Rail demanded the line be undergrounded through its entirety through Rancho Park and Cheviot Hills, which would have bankrupted the project. The group sued and sued, finally losing this month at the state supreme court.
NFSR also pushed the California Public Utilities Commission, a state agency that oversees rail crossings, to reconsider approvals for the extension's crossings. The CPUC agreed to look again, ruled last month that they indeed passed muster, and made that decision final yesterday. Watch the THRILL-A-MINUTE video of CPUC president Michael Peevey closing the book on Expo's legal challenges (seriously, it's satisfying, though), via Transit Coalition poster Gokhan, and get ready for similar epic legal battles with the Purple Line Extension, Regional Connector, and Crenshaw Line.
· Expo Line Phase II Archives [Curbed LA]
Loading comments...