LA’s Westside Subway is Practically Ready for Construction, But Its Completion Could be 25 Years Off

[marmar]

from the Transport Politic blog:


L.A.’s Westside Subway is Practically Ready for Construction, But Its Completion Could be 25 Years Off


Of the nation’s public transportation improvement projects, Los Angeles’ Westside Subway is one of the most important: It would offer an alternative option for tens of thousands of daily riders and speed travel times by up to 50% compared to existing transit trips. It would serve one of the nation’s densest and most jobs-rich urban corridors and in doing so take a major step forward towards making L.A. a place where getting around without a car is comfortable.

L.A. County’s transit provider, Metro, released the final environmental impact statement for the 8.9-mile Westside Subway project last week, providing the most up-to-date details on a multi-billion-dollar scheme that is expected to enter the construction phase next year. The project received a positive review by the Federal Transit Administration in the Obama Administration’s FY 2013 budget, and it is likely to receive a full-funding grant agreement from Washington later this year. Local revenue sources generated by taxes authorized over the years by voters will cover the majority of the project’s cost.

But questions about the project’s completion timeline remain unanswered: Will L.A. have to rely on conventional sources of financing, or be able to take advantage of federally-backed loans to speed construction?

In addition, the project’s specific plans for station construction suggest that there are opportunities to improve station layout and do more to develop land around certain stops. ..................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2012/03/25/l-a-s-westside-subway-is-practically-ready-for-construction-but-its-completion-could-be-25-years-off/

[NBachers]

1. But will it fill up with water when the ocean level rises?

Here in the Bay Area, BART is a great transportation resource, and there are always plans for expanding it. If only the South Bay communities had signed up when the whole thing was first planned back in the '60's.

[happyslug]

2. This would still be dry land if the WAIS would collaspe tomorrow

If the West Antartic Ice Sheet (WAIS) would Collaspe tomorrow, worldwide sea level would raise about 7 Meters or 20 feet within weeks.

World wide map with various sea level increases:
http://geology.com/sea-level-rise/

The area this subway will be on would still be way above sea level. If the Greenland Ice Sheet would melt a similar raise in sea levels would occur, and it still would be above sea level. The area only comes under the threat of being under water if the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) melts. The WAIS and the Greenland Ice Sheet each contain about 10% of world wide fresh water, the WAIS contains 60% (Rivers, lakes, mountain glaciers etc holds the remaining 20%). The lost of the WAIS or the Greenland Ice sheets will raise world wide water levels about 7 meters each, the EAIS would raise world wide sea levels 60 Plus meters.

Right now the WAIS and the Greenland ice sheets are losing ice and water. The EAIS is either holding its own or gaining a small amount of additional ice (Consistent with the theory on Global warming, the EAIS is the coldest ice sheet and its ice sheet is within the Antarctic circle AND above sea level, the Greenland Ice Sheet is also above sea level but straddles the Arctic Circle, while the WAIS is grounded BELOW sea level, making both of them unstable). Thus the concern is the WAIS and the Greenland Ice Sheets not the EAIS (through as the world warms up even the EAIS will melt, but that is not expected for another 100 years or so, unlike the WAIS which can go in any spring, i.e. March through till about April 1st, the Antarctic ice cap minimum, and the Greenland ice sheet, which is expected to melt over the next few decades).

Thus looks like this subway is safe for the foreseeable future.

[tinrobot]

3. As usual, Beverly Hills is the sticking point.

They're using a lot of legal tactics to prevent the subway from going through or underneath their precious city.

I suppose mass transit riders just don't meet their high standards or something.

[KamaAina]

4. Happens every time.

Ever wonder why DC Metro doesn't go to Georgetown? Or Atlanta's MARTA to Cobb County, the heart of Newt country? It's because places like that don't want "those people" to be able to get there.