Panelists’ Effort to End Rail Study Fails

An attempt to halt further study of a mostly subway rail line in the San Fernando Valley failed Thursday amid debate at a Los Angeles County transportation panel meeting.

The recommendation to put an end to studies of the proposed east-west line parallel to Burbank and Chandler boulevards was made by Metropolitan Transportation Authority members Nick Patsaouras and John Fasana during a meeting of the MTA Planning and Programming Committee.

They suggested that the MTA cannot afford to build the Burbank-Chandler project and so should instead study only a rival project, an elevated line over the Ventura Freeway.

The recommendation, however, was opposed by two authority members, Marvin Holen and Los Angeles City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, who said both alternatives must be studied further so the MTA can make an informed decision when it chooses between the routes next year.

As proposed, a 16-mile elevated rail line over the Ventura Freeway from Universal City to Woodland Hills would cost $2.24 billion; the 14-mile, mostly subway line between North Hollywood and Woodland Hills would cost $2.79 billion.

The long-running debate over which rail project to build in the Valley was renewed when the transportation authority staff recommended that the committee support spending $2.14 million for studies of the elevated freeway line and $1.36 million for the Burbank-Chandler line.

The soil and engineering studies were requested by the MTA in January to reveal possible future construction problems on both lines before a final decision is made between them.

Because a majority of the panel could not agree on the matter, the staff recommendation to proceed with the rail studies will be considered July 28 by the entire Transportation Authority, with no recommendation from the committee.

Holen said the freeway line would, in effect, be selected by default if the committee and the entire MTA decided to halt further studies of the Burbank-Chandler line. He noted that the county has already spent more than $100 million on land for the Burbank-Chandler line.

Polly Ward, a representative of the Studio City Residents Assn., said she and other homeowners agree with Holen and want the MTA to complete studies on both alternatives before making a final decision.

But Fasana, a councilman from the city of Duarte, said the MTA can save money by halting further studies of the Burbank-Chandler line and proceeding with construction of the less expensive elevated freeway line.

“When we look at savings for the entire county, we need to look at the freeway alignment,” he said.

Don Schultz, president of the Van Nuys Homeowners Assn., agreed with Fasana, saying further studies of the Burbank-Chandler route are “nothing more than another waste of transit dollars.”