Mayor Eric Garcetti proposes a monorail to ease traffic on 405 freeway

Solving the 405 traffic conundrum is a holy grail for transit planners. Whether it’s by light rail, underground tunnel, or just plain making roads wider, city officials want to clear the perpetual gridlock any way possible.

As the Los Angeles Times reports, LA’s mayor is throwing yet another transit option on the table, one familiar to many in Southern California—a monorail.

In a radio interview with KNX-1070, Mayor Eric Garcetti laid out his case for bringing a little bit of Disneyland to the Sepulveda Pass by building a monorail over the freeway to connect The Valley with the Westside. “With a small footprint, with electric motors, safety for both earthquakes and access, it could be on the table,” he said.

Garcetti threw some cold water on an above-ground rail option for the 405, saying trains couldn’t get up the steep Sepulveda Pass inclines. But, he said, a monorail could—and at speeds similar to conventional trains.

During the interview, Garcetti brought up new monorail technology developed by the Chinese automotive company BYD Motors. According to Garcetti, the BYD monorail system is both cheaper and better suited to endure potential earthquakes.

Los Angeles Public Library photo collection

BYD Motors seems poised to swoop in if monorail plans gain traction. The company is already headquartered in Downtown Los Angeles, a move facilitated by $1.6 million in federal funds provided the city. BYD has also built several electric buses for Metro, the agency that will determine the transit future of the Sepulveda Pass.

This is the second fun idea Garcetti has floated this spring to solve traffic woes. Last month, he suggested the city could build a gondola to the Hollywood Sign.

• L.A. mayor thinks a monorail over the 405 Freeway could tame traffic gridlock [LA Times]
• Metro mulls its transit options for the Sepulveda Pass [Curbed LA]
• 6 Concepts Metro's Considering For a 405 Transit Project [Curbed LA]
• LA Mayor mulling a gondola to the Hollywood Sign [Curbed LA]
• Ray Bradbury Would've Crisscrossed LA With Monorails [Curbed LA]