Westside Subway FAQ, March 2012

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WestsideSubwayExtensionFAQs(UpdatedMarch2012)

Frequently Asked Questions (Updated March 2012)

IntroductionAftermorethanfouryearsofindepthstudy,Metrohascompletedtheenvironmentalanalysisfor

theWestsideSubwayExtension. ThisworkisdocumentedintheFinalEnvironmentalImpact

Statement/EnvironmentalImpactReport(FinalEIS/EIR)thatincludesstaffrecommendationsforthe

project. TheFinalEIS/EIRwasrecentlyreleasedtothepublicanditisexpectedtobepresentedto

theMetroBoardofDirectorsfortheirconsiderationandpossibleapprovaloftheprojectonApril

26,2012.

Thisset

of

Frequently

Asked

Questions

(FAQs)

provides

information

on

the

work

that

has

occurredduringtheplanningandenvironmentalanalysisofthesubwayextensionproject. The

FAQswillcontinuetobeupdatedastheprojectproceeds.

Pleasereviewthiswebsitetoviewpublicdocumentsthathavebeenreleasedduringdevelopment

oftheFinalEIS/EIR,aswellasthosethatwerepreparedduringtheearlierDraftEIS/EIRand

AlternativesAnalysis(AA)Study.

Subjectsdiscussedhereinclude:

StudyRecommendations&Overview

Cost&Funding

Ridership&TravelTime

Alignment&StationInformation

SpecificStationInformation

SubwayConstruction,Construction

Impacts&MitigationMeasures

Geotechnical&FaultInvestigations

Safety

Construction&OperationsUnder&On

PrivateProperty

StationAreaParking

Schedule&Phasing

PublicInvolvement

1


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StudyRecommendations&Overview1. WhatprojectisrecommendedintheFinalEIS/EIR?

TheFinalEIS/EIRrecommendsaheavyrailsubwaythatextendsapproximately9mileswest

fromthecurrentterminusoftheMetroPurpleLineatWilshire/Western, endingatthe

Westwood/VAHospital.

Pleaseviewourlatestfactsheet,ConclusionofPlanningandEnvironmentalStudies,foranoverviewoftheFinalEIS/EIR.

2. Wherearestationsrecommendedforthesubway?AttheconclusionoftheDraftEIS/EIRinOctober2010,theMetroBoardapprovedseven

stationsforthesubway. Thisincludedselectingthebasiclocationforfourofthestations

Wilshire/LaBrea,Wilshire/Fairfax,Wilshire/LaCienegaandWilshire/Rodeo. TheBoardalso

directedcontinuedanalysisofthethreewesternmoststationsCenturyCity,Westwood/UCLA

andWestwood/VA. TheFinalEIS/EIRconductedfurtheranalysisofallthestationoptions.

Staffrecommendationsforthestationsandstationentrancesareshowninthetableonthe

nextpage. Theselectionofstationlocationsinfluencedtherecommendedtunnelalignment

shownabove.

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RecommendedStationandStationEntranceLocations

Station RecommendedStationBoxLocation RecommendedStationEntranceLocations

Wilshire/LaBrea BelowWilshireextendingeast

andwestofLaBreabetween

Detroit&Orange

NorthwestcornerofWilshire/LaBrea

Wilshire/Fairfax BelowWilshireextendingfrom

westofFairfaxtoeastof

OrangeGrove

NorthwestcornerofWilshire/Fairfax

Wilshire/LaCienega BelowWilshireextendingeast

fromLaCienegatoTowerDrive

NortheastcornerofWilshire/La

Cienega

Wilshire/Rodeo BelowWilshireextendingeast

fromElCaminotoCanon

SouthwestcornerofWilshire/Reeves

CenturyCity BelowConstellationBoulevard

extendingwestfromCentury

ParkEast

to

west

of

Avenue

of

theStars

NortheastcornerofConstellation/

AvenueofStars

Westwood/UCLA BelowWilshireextendingfrom

WestwoodBoulevardtoeastof

Veteran

OneentranceonUCLALot36near

northwestcornerofWilshire/Gayley

Onesplitentranceonnorthwestand

southwestcornersofWilshire/

WestwoodBoulevard

Westwood/VA BelownorthedgeofVA

Hospitalparkinglotonthe

southsideofWilshireextending

eastfrom

Bonsall

to

I405

Freeway

SoutheastcornerWilshire/Bonsall

3. Wherearethesitesthatwillbeusedforconstructionstaging?Constructionactivitieswillbeprincipallylocatedateachfuturestationsite. Typically,between

oneandthreeacresisrequiredforconstructionpurposesateachstationsite. Approximately

threeacresisrequiredatstationswheretunnelboringmachinesandwheredirtfromthe

tunnelsisextractedfordisposal. Wilshire/LaBrea,CenturyCityandtheVeterans

Administrationcampusarerecommendedfortheseoperationsandlargerstagingsites. Other

stationsitesrequireapproximatelyoneacre. Normallythesitethatwillbeusedforthestation

entrancewillalsobeusedforconstructionstaging. Insomeinstancesthestationentrancesite

isnot

sufficiently

large

for

station

construction

purposes

and

additional

parcels

are

required.

PleaseseeourConstructionFactSheetandPropertyAcquisitionFactSheetformoreinformation.

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Staffrecommendationsfortheconstructionstagingsitesareshowninthetablebelow.

Station RecommendedConstructionStagingAreasWilshire/LaBrea NorthandsouthsideWilshirebetweenLaBreaandDetroit

Wilshire/Fairfax NorthwestcornerofWilshire/FairfaxandsouthsideofWilshirebetween

OdgenandOrangeGrove

Wilshire/LaCienega NortheastcornerofWilshire/LaCienegaandnorthwestcornerof

Wilshire/North GaleDrive

Wilshire/Rodeo SouthwestcornerofWilshire/Reevesandnortheastcornerof

Wilshire/North CanonDrive

CenturyCity NortheastcornerofConstellation/Avenue ofStarsEastandtheeastside

CenturyParkEastatConstellation

Westwood/UCLA UCLALot36locatedonthenorthsideofWilshirebetweenGayleyand

Veteran(partialuse)

Westwood/VA VAHospitalnorthparkinglotlocatedonthesouthsideofWilshire

Boulevard(partial

use)

4. Whatwastheprocessforarrivingattheserecommendations?Therecommendationsaretheresultofthreestepanalysisprocessthatfollowsstateand

federalguidelines. Atthestatelevel,theefforthasfollowedtheguidelinesoftheCalifornia

EnvironmentalQualityAct(CEQA). Atthefederallevel,ithasadheredtotheNational

EnvironmentalProtectionAct(NEPA)aswellasguidelinesfromtheFederalTransit

AdministrationtoseekmatchingfundsthroughtheNewStartsprogram. Thethreestepsof

theenvironmentalanalysishavebeen:

TheAlternativesAnalysis(AA)Study(200708)exploredseveralalternativesfortheproject. It

evaluatedavariety

of

routes

and

travel

modes

including

bus

rapid

transit,

light

rail,

monorail

andheavyrail. Italsoevaluatedunderground,streetlevelandelevatedoptions. TheAA

determinedthatunderground,heavyrail(subway)wasthemostappropriateoptionforthis

heavilycongested,densearea.InJanuary2009,theMetroBoardofDirectorsapprovedtheAA

StudyandauthorizedproceedingwiththeDraftEnvironmentalImpact

Statement/Environmental ImpactReport(DraftEIS/EIR)toexaminetheenvironmentalimpact

andfeasibilityofselectedprojectalternatives.

TheDraftEnvironmentalImpactStatement/EnvironmentalImpactReport(DraftEIS/EIR)(2009

10)evaluatedfivesubwayalignmentsoptionsofdifferentlengths. TheyallextendedtheMetro

PurpleLinefromthecurrentWilshire/WesternstationtotheWestside. Twooftheoptionsthat

wereevaluated

included

aconnection

to

the

current

Metro

Red

Line

at

Hollywood/Highland

alongwiththeextensionfromWilshrie/Western. InOctober2010,theMetroBoardof

DirectorsapprovedtheDraftEIS/EIR,adoptedtheLocallyPreferredAlternative(LPA),and

authorizedfurtheranalysisofthisLPAthroughthepreparationoftheFinalEIS/EIR.TheLPA

selectedbytheBoardisaninemileextensionoftheMetroPurpleLinesubwayfromitscurrent

terminusatWilshire/Western totheWestwood/VAHospitalwithsevennewstations. Thiswas

selectedastheoptiontobestmeetfederalevaluationcriteriaandthatcanbebuiltwith

projectedfunds.

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http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/alternatives-analysis-study-january-2009http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/alternatives-analysis-study-january-2009http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/alternatives-analysis-study-january-2009http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/alternatives-analysis-study-january-2009http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/alternatives-analysis-study-january-2009http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/alternatives-analysis-study-january-2009http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/alternatives-analysis-study-january-2009http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/draft-eis-eir-sept-2010http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/draft-eis-eir-sept-2010http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/draft-eis-eir-sept-2010http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/draft-eis-eir-sept-2010http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/draft-eis-eir-sept-2010http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/draft-eis-eir-sept-2010http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/draft-eis-eir-sept-2010http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/draft-eis-eir-sept-2010http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/draft-eis-eir-sept-2010http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/draft-eis-eir-sept-2010http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/draft-eis-eir-sept-2010http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/draft-eis-eir-sept-2010http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/alternatives-analysis-study-january-2009


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5

TheFinalEnvironmentalImpactStatement/EnvironmentalImpactReport(FinalEIS/EIR)(2010

current)furtheranalyzedandrefinedtheselectedLocallyPreferredAlternative(LPA). This

latestdocumentincludesrecommendationsforconsiderationbytheMetroBoardofDirectors

includingstationlocationsandentrances,tunnelalignmentbetweenstations,sitesfor

constructionstaging,andmitigations. Italsoincludesresponsestocommentsreceivedonthe

DraftEIS/EIR,

results

of

additional

analysis,

and

preliminary

station

designs.

In

January

2011,

theFederalTransitAdministration (FTA)approvedtheLPAforentryintoPreliminary

Engineering(PE)whichhasbeenconductedconcurrentlywiththeFinalEIS/EIR.

Throughoutthistime,Metrohasconductedanextensivecommunityoutreacheffort. Bythe

timetheFinalEIS/EIRispresentedtotheMetroBoardofDirectorsfortheirconsideration,

Metrowillhavehosted71meetingsthroughoutthestudyarea.

5. WhatisdifferentbetweentheDraftEIS/EIRandtheFinalEIS/EIR?TheFinalEIS/EIRprovidesresponsestocommentsandquestionssubmittedduringtheDraft

EIS/EIRpubliccommentperiodandrecommendsmitigationsforimpactsduringconstructionor

operationthat

have

been

identified.

Concurrent

with

the

analysis

to

develop

the

Final

EIS/EIR,

MetrohasalsoconductedPreliminaryEngineering(PE)fortheproject. PEprovidesamore

detailedlevelofengineeringthantheAdvancedConceptualEngineering(ACE)conducted

duringtheDraftEIS/EIR. TheFinalEIS/EIRalsoreflectsrefinementstotheprojectbasedon

thesecombinedactivities.

DuringtheFinalEIS/EIRphase,specificcomponentsofstationlocations,suchasstation

entrances,werefurtherrefinedbasedoncommentsreceivedattheendoftheDraftEIS/EIR

phase. MetroalsoconductedmeetingswithStationAreaAdvisoryGroups(comprisedof

residents,propertyowners,andrepresentativesfromhomeownerassociations,neighborhood

councils,businessesandkeyinstitutions)togainfurthercommunityinputintothestation

planningprocess.

Based

on

these

studies

and

public

input,

Metro

staff

has

included

recommendationsintheFinalEIS/EIRforallstationlocations,entrancesandconstruction

stagingareasaroundthestations. Inaddition,methodsfortunnelandstationconstruction,

areasforconstructionstagingandearthremovalprocedures,andhaulrouteswerefurther

refined. Furtheranalysisofprojectimpactsduringconstructionandoperationswere

conducted,andassociatedmitigationmeasuresaredetailedintheMitigationMonitoringand

ReportingProgram(MMRP)oftheFinalEIS/EIR.

6. WhatkindsofcommentsdidyouhearontheDraftEIS/EIRandwherecanIfindtheresponses?Therewasa45daypubliccommentperiodfortheDraftEIS/EIRfromSeptember3October18,

2010.Metro

held

five

public

hearings

and

received

input

from

nearly

800

commenters

at

the

hearingsandinwritingduringthisperiod. Metroreceivedthemostcommentsregardingthe

followingtopics:Stationlocations,especially:o CenturyCityo Westwood/UCLAo Westwood/VAHospitalBeverlyHillstoWestwoodtunnel

alignment

Acceleratingconstruction

Interestinextendingthesubwayasfar

westaspossible

Questionsaboutstationaccess

(includingstationparking)

Constructionimpacts

Technicalissues(suchastrafficand

noiseimpacts)


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ResponsestothemostfrequentlyreceivedquestionsareinChapter8oftheFinalEIS/EIR.

IndividualresponsestoeachofthecommentsareincludedinAppendixHintheFinalEIS/EIR.

7. WhathappensattheconclusionoftheFinalEIS/EIR?Following

the

public

availability

period,

including

public

community

open

house

meetings,

the

FinalEIS/EIRwithstaffrecommendationsisscheduledtobepresentedtotheMetroBoardof

DirectorsatitsmeetingonApril26,2012. TheMetroBoardwillbeaskedtodecideaboutthese

recommendationsandtocertifytheFinalEIS/EIRascomplete. Followingcertificationbythe

MetroBoard,theFederalTransitAdministration(FTA)willbeaskedtoissueaRecordof

Decision(ROD)denotingcompletionoffederalenvironmentalclearancefortheproject. These

combinedactionswilldefinetheprojectthatwillbesubmittedtotheFTAforconsiderationto

receivefederalNewStartsfunding,andthentakenintoFinalDesignandultimately

construction.

Cost&Funding8. Whatisthecostandstatusoffundingforthesubway?

TheadoptedLongRangeTransportation Plan(LRTP)forLosAngelesCountyallocatesfunding

forthesubwayproject,includinganassumedfederalcontribution,overthenext25years.

LocalfundingfortheprojectisprovidedbytheMeasureRInitiativethatwasapprovedbythe

votersofLosAngelesCountyinNovember2008. Federalfundingfortheprojectisbeingsought

fromtheNewStartsProgramadministeredbytheFederalTransitAdministration. Thereisan

effortunderwaytoacceleratefundingforthesubway,aswellasotherMeasureRtransit

projects,toallowthemalltobeconstructedin10years. KnownasAmericaFastForward(formerlythe30/10Initiative),thiseffortseeksavarietyofloansandothercreativefinancingfrom

the

federal

government

that

would

be

repaid

over

30

years

with

Measure

R

revenues.

BuildingthesubwayextensiontotheWestwood/VAHospitalstationundertheAmericaFast

ForwardPlanisestimatedtocost$5.6billion(in2022dollars)basedonanexpectedcompletion

dateof2022. PleaseseeQuestion10formoreinformationOnJanuary4,2011,theFederalTransitAdministration (FTA)authorizedtheprojecttoproceed

intoPreliminaryEngineering,whichmeansthattheprojectiswellpositionedtobeconsidered

forfuturefederalfundingthroughtheNewStartsprogram. TheFTAalsoapprovedthe

WestsideSubwayExtensiontoreceivea$640millionTransportation InfrastructureFinanceand

InnovationAct(TIFIA)loantobeappliedtowardsthefullconstructioncostoftheproject. The

PresidentsFiscalYear2013budgetalsoincludesarecommendationthat $50millionbe

provided

to

support

the

final

engineering

design

of

the

project.

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Schedule&Phasing9. WhatistheschedulefortheFinalEIS/EIRandhowsooncouldconstructionstart?

TheanticipatedschedulefortheWestsideSubwayExtensionFinalEIS/EIRandsubsequent

activitiesleadingtoconstructionisasfollows:

March2012:ReleaseFinalEIS/EIRwithstaffrecommendationsforpublicavailabilityApril26,2012(anticipated):MetroBoardconsiderationofFinalEIS/EIRforapprovaland

certification

Spring2012:SecurefederalRecordofDecision(ROD)andrequestfederalNewStarts

funding

2012/2013:Securefederalfunding,completeengineering,preparebiddocuments,award

constructioncontracts,beginpreconstructionactivities(surveys,utilityrelocation,etc.),

and completeFinalDesign.

2013:Beginconstruction.

10.WhattypesofactivitieshappenbetweentheMetroBoardapprovaloftheFinalEIS/EIRandgroundbreakingonconstructionofthesubwayextension?FollowingreceiptofaRecordofDecision(ROD)fromtheFederalTransitAdministration(FTA),

Metrowillbeginpreconstructionactivitiesthatwillincludesecuringfederalfunding,

developingFinalDesignplans,preparingbiddocuments,awardingconstructioncontract(s),

propertyacquisitionnegotiations,additionalfieldtesting,utilityrelocationwork,andpotential

paleontologicalwork. Ongoingcommunityoutreachwillalsocontinue,includingdiscussions

withpropertyowners,businesses,andthecommunityonstationdesign,stationart,and

constructionmitigationactivities.

11.WhenwillIbeabletoridetheSubwayandhowdoestheAmericaFastForwardInitiativeaffect

the

project?

HowfasttheSubwayisbuiltandopenforserviceislargelyaquestionofwhencommitted

fundingcanbecomeavailablefortheproject. Basedonfundingcurrentlydedicatedtothe

projectintheadoptedLongRangeTransportationPlanforLosAngelesCounty,theFinalEIS/EIR

recommendsthatthesubwaybebuiltandopeninthreephases:

2020:3newstationsatWilshire/LaBrea,Wilshire/Fairfax &Wilshire/LaCienega

2026:2newstationsatWilshire/Rodeo&CenturyCity

2036:2newstationsatWestwood/UCLA&WestwoodVAHospital

InearlyJanuary2011,theFederalTransitAdministration (FTA)grantedpermissionforthe

SubwaytobeginPreliminaryEngineering(PE)tobuildtheprojectinonephaseto

Westwood/VAHospital,

and

to

complete

the

project

by

2022.

Metro

is

currently

developing

newfundingplansthatwouldallowustomeetthisnewtimeframe.

OneefforttoacceleratefundingisknownastheAmericaFastForwardInitiative(formerlythe

30/10Initiative). ThisisanefforttobuildthesubwayandalltheMeasureRprojectsin10

years. Metroisworkingcloselywiththefederalgovernmenttofindwaystoadvancethe

fundingfortheseprojects. Anyfederalmoneynotalreadypresumedtobepartofthefunding

foraprojectwouldbepaidbackbythelocalMeasureRrevenuesover30years.

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12.EarlierplanshadthefirstphaseofthesubwayendingatFairfax. WhyareyounowbringingitLaCienega?AsaresultofPreliminaryEngineeringworkconductedduringpreparationoftheFinalEIS/EIR,it

wasdeterminedthattheinitialconstructionsegmentshouldextend for3.9milesfrom

Wilshire/WesterntoWilshire/LaCienegaratherthan3.1milesfromWilshire/Western to

Wilshire/Fairfax.The

principal

reason

for

this

change

is

the

gassy

ground

conditions

that

are

moreconcentratedintheareafromjusteastofLaBreatojustwestofFairfax. Tunnelinginthis

areawillrequiretheuseofspecialtunnelboringequipmentthatisnotrequiredinother

segmentsoftheproject. ExtendingthefirstsegmenttoLaCienegaallowsallofthisspecial

tunnelingworktobefocusedinasingleconstructionsegment. Groundconditionsaremuch

morefavorablewestoftheLaCienegaStationwheremoreconventionaltunnelboring

equipmentcanbeused. ThischangewillalsoallowtheWilshire/LaCienegaStationtobe

completedandopenforserviceupto6yearsearlierasapartofConstructionSegment1thanif

itwerebuiltasapartofConstructionSegment2.InFebruary2012,staffinformedtheMetro

BoardofDirectorsabouttheplanstorecommendtheWilshire/LaCienegaStationasapartof

thePhase1constructionsegment. ThatreporttotheMetroBoardisavailableat

metro.net/westside.

PleaseseeourConstructionFactSheetformoreinformationonstationconstruction.Ridership&TravelTime13.HowmanypeoplewillridetheWestsideSubwayExtension?

BasedontheanalysisconductedduringtheFinalEIS/EIR,theWestsideSubwayExtensiontothe

Westwood/VAHospitalstationwillgenerateabout49,300dailyweekdayboardingsatthe

sevennewstations. Usingadifferentmeasure,therewouldbeabout78,000newdailytripson

the

full

Metro

Rail

System

as

a

result

of

the

opening

of

this

line.

14.HowlongwillittaketotraveltotheWestsideonthesubwayfromvariousdestinationsaroundLACounty?

OncethesubwayiscompletedtotheWestwood/VAHospital,itisprojectedtotake25minutes

totravelbetweentheWestwood/UCLAstationandthePershingSquarestationindowntown

LosAngeles,asavingsof30minutescomparedtotraveltimesontransitwithouttheproject.

ThegraphicbelowillustratestheprojectedtraveltimetoWestwood/UCLAfromotherareasof

theCountywiththeprojectcomparedtoaveragetransittraveltimeswithouttheproject(No

Build).

Inall

cases,

the

travel

times

to

Westwood/UCLA

will

improve

by

about

30

60%

over

travel

timesontransitwithoutthesubway. Itshouldalsobenotedthattraveltimesonthesubway

willremainconstantovertime,whereasbusandautotraveltimesonsurfacestreetsvary

dependingontrafficconditionsandareexpectedtodeterioratefurtherovertimeascongestion

increases.

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TravelTimestowiththeSubway

Alignments&Stations15.Whatwerethekeyfactorsthatledtothestaffrecommendationsforstation&tunnel

locations?

Safetyisthemostimportantconsiderationforallaspectsofsubwayplanningsafetyforthe

contractorsthatbuildthesubway,forouremployeesthatoperateandmaintainit,forour

passengers,andforourneighbors. FortheFinalEIS/EIR,theMetroBoardofDirectorsdirected

stafftocarefullyevaluatestationandtunneloptionstoensurethatthesubwaywouldbesafe

tobuildandoperategivenfactorsincludingsoilconditions,locationsofearthquakefaultsand

activeorabandonedoilfields. Decisionsaboutstationlocationsalsotypicallydependona

varietyofotherfactorsincludingenvironmentalimpacts,engineeringandtechnicalissues,

costs,constructability,abilitytolocateconvenientareasforconstructionstaging,interestfrom

adjacentpropertyowners,ridership,accesstodestinations,publicinput,etc. DuringtheFinal

EIS/EIR/PEphase,Metroconductedfurtherindepthevaluationofthestationlocationsusingall

thesecriteria.

16.Howwillthestationslookinmyneighborhood? Willthepublichaveinputintotheirdesign?Metrohasworkedcloselywithstaffofthestudyareacities,thepublicandotherstakeholders

onallaspectsofstationplanninganddesignthroughouttheenvironmentalprocess. Duringthe

9


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buildingwithinanolder,historicbuilding. TheMayCompanylocationisnotrecommended

duetothehighercostsandrisksassociatedwiththisoption.

Besidescost,stationaccessibilityfromalldirections,includingbus/railtransfers,isanotherkey

factorinevaluatingstationentrancelocations. TheJohniessiteisclosertothe

Wilshire/Fairfaxintersection

making

this

an

easier,

more

convenient

transfer

than

the

Orange

Grovesiteforthoseaccessingthisstation.Thecostsofbuildingthestationentranceateither

theJohniessiteortheOrangeGrovesitearesimilartoeachotherasbothlocationsare

recommendedtobeusedforconstructionstaginghere.

AllofthisanalysiswillbepresentedtotheMetroBoardofDirectorswhowillbeaskedtodecide

onthestationentrance.

19.WhyistheFinalEIS/EIRrecommendingthattheentrancetotheWilshire/RodeostationbeatthesouthwestcornerofWilshireBoulevardandReevesDriveinsteadofatorclosertoRodeo

Drive?

WhileeverystationareaoftheWestsideSubwayExtensionpresentschallenges,someofthe

issuesinthisareaofBeverlyHillsincludetheexistingbuildings,narrownorth/southstreets,and

differenceinorientationofstreetsonthenorthandsouthsideofWilshireBoulevard. Someof

theoptionsevaluatedforwheretolocatethisstationentranceinclude:

ThenorthwestcornerofWilshireBoulevardandBeverlyDrive

ThesouthwestcornerofWilshireBoulevardandElCaminoDrive

ThesouthwestcornerofWilshireBoulevardandReevesDrive

ThelocationsatBeverlyDriveandatElCaminoDrivewouldhaveeachrequiredsqueezingthe

stationentrancecomponentselevators,escalators,stairsandstationentrancecovering

onto

already

narrow

sidewalks.

For

the

Beverly

Drive

location,

this

would

have

further

required

wideningthesidewalkonBeverlyDriveeliminatingcurbparkingandatleastonetrafficlane.

Belowgroundcomponentsforeachofthesestationentrancesincludingpassengerwalkways

wouldhaveresultedinapermanentlossofasignificantportionoftheundergroundparking

foreachofthebuildingsatthoselocations.

WilshireBoulevardandReevesDriveisrecommendedasaconstructionstagingsiteforthis

stationmakingitaneasierandlessexpensivelocationforthestationentrance. Theseoptions

werediscussedindetailwiththeStationAreaAdvisoryGroupforWilshire/Rodeostation. Allof

thisanalysiswillbepresentedtotheMetroBoardofDirectorswhowillbeaskedtodecideon

thestationentrance.

20.WasntaCenturyCityStationalwaysplannedonSantaMonicaBoulevard? WheredidtheideaforlocatingthestationbelowConstellationcomefrom? Whatotheroptionshaveyou

studiedforastationlocationinthatarea?

Anyenvironmentalanalysismustconsiderallreasonablealternatives,aswellasevaluateall

commentsandsuggestionsreceived. DuringtheAlternativesAnalysis(AA)conductedin2007

08,MetroreviewedalignmentsandstationlocationsintheCenturyCityareathathad

previouslybeenconsideredintheearly1990sasastartingpointforinputandevaluation. This

informationwaspresentedtothepublicforcommentatthefirstroundofscopingmeetingsin

October2007duringtheAAandsubsequentlyagainduringtheDraftEIS/EIRphase.Public

11
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commentsduringboththeAAandDraftEIS/EIRnotedthataSantaMonicaBoulevardlocation

placedastationonthenorthernedgeofCenturyCityimmediatelyadjacenttotheLosAngeles

CountryClubgolfcourseandnearalowdensityresidentialareatothenorth. Metrowasasked

toalsoevaluateotheralternativesincludinglocatingastationsouthofSantaMonicaBoulevard

thatwouldbesurroundedonallsidesbyhighriseofficesanddensecommercialbuildings.

Metrolooked

at

several

alternatives

in

the

heart

of

Century

City

including

one

at

Constellation

BoulevardandanotheronAvenueoftheStars.

DuringtheFinalEIS/EIR,MetrocontinuedtoevaluatetheCenturyCitystationlocationsunder

SantaMonicaBoulevardandunderConstellationBoulevard. Theinitialstationlocationstudied

underSantaMonicaBoulevardwasattheintersectionofAvenueoftheStars. Metro

subsequentlyconsideredamodificationtothisoptionunderSantaMonicaBoulevardat

CenturyParkEasttoaddresssafetyconcernsbylocatingthestationfartherawayfromthe

SantaMonicaFaultzone. (SeeQuestions22,28and29formoreinformationabouttheSanta

MonicaFaultandeffortstolearnmoreaboutit.) ThelocationstudiedunderConstellation

BoulevardplacedthestationatAvenueoftheStars.

Duringearlierstudyphases,Metroalsoevaluated,andultimatelyruledout,anorthsouth

orientedstation

located

under

Avenue

of

the

Stars

between

Santa

Monica

and

Constellation

Boulevards. Thislocationwouldhaverequiredasignificantlylongertunnelinordertoachieve

thenorthsouthorientationforthisstationandresultedinhighercosts,longertraveltimesand

tunnelingundermoreprivateproperties.

21.DoesthelocationoftheCenturyCitystationmakeadifferenceintheboardingnumbersforthatstation? HowhavethesenumberschangedsincetheDraftEIS/EIR?TheFinalEIS/EIRisprojectingapproximately8,600weekdayboardingsattheCenturyCity

stationifitislocatedatConstellationBoulevardandAvenueoftheStars,and5,500weekday

boardingsifthestationislocatedatSantaMonicaBoulevard&CenturyParkEast. These

12


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projectionsarebasedoncomputermodelanalysiscoupledwithanindepthevaluationofland

usesaroundbothstationlocations,walkingdistancesandexperiencefromotherrailsystems.

Thatanalysisfoundthatthereareapproximately20,000jobslocatedwithinmiletheCentury

City/Constellation StationOptionandapproximately10,000jobslocatedwithinmileofthe

CenturyCity/SantaMonicaBoulevardStationOption. Thisdifferenceinaccesstothesubway

stationis

asignificant

factor

in

the

higher

ridership

forecasts

for

the

recommended

ConstellationStationlocation.

TheearlierDraftEIS/EIRprojected6,500boardingsinCenturyCitybasedonamoregeneralized

methodofridershipforecastingthatdidnothaveadetailedanalysisoflandusedistributionnor

differentiatebetweenthestationlocationsonSantaMonicaBoulevardandonConstellation

Boulevard. Fortheaboveridershipforecasts,Metroisrequiredtousetheadoptedsixcounty

regionaltransportation computermodelthatismaintained bytheSouthernCalifornia

AssociationofGovernments(SCAG).TheseforecastshavebeenfurtherreviewedbytheU.S.

DepartmentofTransportationtoassurethemethodologiesusedareconsistentandcomparable

withridershipforecastsconductedthroughoutthecountryonothertransitprojectsinother

citiesthatarealsocompetingforfederalfundinggrants. Suchprocedureshavebeenputinto

placebythefederalgovernmenttoinsurethatridershipforecastsareproperlypreparedand

withoutbias.

BackgroundinformationontheCenturyCityridershipanalysisintheFinalEIS/EIRcanbefound

intheCenturyCityTransitOrientedDevelopment(TOD)andWalkAccessStudyandthe

TechnicalReportSummarizingtheResultsoftheForecastedAlternatives.

22.WhydidquestionsabouttheSantaMonicaFaultanditsimplicationsforthelocationofthetunnelsandstationintheCenturyCityareaonlyariserelativelylateintheenvironmental

process?

Didnt

Metro

know

about

it

earlier?

What

implications

does

this

have

for

other

buildinganddevelopmentinthevicinity?

WhentheAlternativesAnalysis(AA)fortheWestsideSubwayExtensionbeganin2007,thebest

informationavailableabouttheSantaMonicaFaultinthevicinityofCenturyCitycamefroma

2005studyusingavisualinspectionmethodknownassurfacetopographytoestimatethe

locationofthefault. Thisinformationwassufficienttoraiseconcernsaboutthesafetyof

buildingtunnelsandstationsunderSantaMonicaBoulevard,however,informationgathered

thiswayisnotsufficienttoidentifythefaulttracelocationsandtheircharacteristicsastheyare

configuredundergroundinrelationtotheproposedsubway.

In200910,asapartofstudiesfortheDraftEIS/EIR,Metrocontractorsconductedgeotechnical

tests

in

the

area

including

soil

borings

and

geophysical

tests

to

measure

how

vibrations

travel

throughtheground. Thesetestsprovidedmoreinformationaboutthelocationand

characteristicsoftheSantaMonicaFaultintheCenturyCityareathantheearliersurface

topographywork,howeveritwasstillinsufficienttomakedefinitiverecommendationswith

regardtothesafetyofspecificstationandtunnellocations.

DuringtheFinalFEIS/EIR,Metroconductedfurtherextensivegeotechnicalstudiestoprovide

evenmoreinformationabouttheSantaMonicaFaultandotherseismicfeaturesinthearea,

includingtheWestBeverlyHillsLineament. Theresultsofthesestudiesarecontainedintwo

technicalreports,theTunnelingSafetyReportandFaultInvestigationReport. Thesereports13
http://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/century_city_area_tunneling_safety_report.pdfhttp://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/century_city_area_tunneling_safety_report.pdfhttp://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/century_city_area_tunneling_safety_report.pdfhttp://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/century_city_area_tunneling_safety_report.pdfhttp://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/century_city_area_tunneling_safety_report.pdfhttp://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/fault_report.pdfhttp://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/fault_report.pdfhttp://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/fault_report.pdfhttp://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/fault_report.pdfhttp://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/fault_report.pdfhttp://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/fault_report.pdfhttp://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/century_city_area_tunneling_safety_report.pdf


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andtestshaveprovidedsufficientevidencethatacknowledgedexpertsinseismicdesignhave

usedtorecommendthatsubwaystationsandalignmentsshouldnotbeconstructedalong

SantaMonicaBoulevardinCenturyCity. Theserecommendationsdonotextendtoother

propertiesintheareawhohavebeenadvisedtousethegeologicinformationprovidedbythese

studiestomaketheirowndeterminationsaboutthesafetyofothertypesofbuiltstructuresin

thevicinity.

Fact

Sheets

related

to

these

issues

are

also

online.

SeeQuestion31formoreinformationaboutsubwaysinearthquakeareas.

23.WhyistheWestwood/UCLAStationnotclosertotheUCLAcampus?TheAlternativesAnalysisStudy(AA)conductedin200708consideredstationlocationsalong

WilshireBoulevardintheWestwoodareaaswellasthoseclosertotheUCLAcampus.Locations

inthemiddleofWestwoodVillage,attheentrancetoUCLAalongLeConte,andontheUCLA

campuswerenotcarriedforwardintotheDraftEIS/EIRfortwoprimaryreasons. First,they

wouldhaverequiredtunnelalignmentstotravelundertheVeteransNationalCemeteryinorder

toallowthesubwaytocontinuewest. Inaddition,the

narrowstreetsinWestwoodVillageandtheadditional

distancefromWilshireBoulevardmadetheselocationsill

suitedforstationconstructionandassociatedimpacts,

includinglocatingsufficientlandforconstructionstaging

andearthremoval,andidentifyingtruckhaulroutes.

ThestationlocationsconsideredduringtheFinalEIS/EIR

closertoorunderWilshireBoulevardwillserveWestwood

Villageaswellasthehighriseofficebuildingsalong

WilshireBoulevardandthemultifamilyresidential

buildings

close

by.

In

addition,

adequate

undeveloped

landincloseproximitytotheI405Freewaywasavailable

formucheasieraccessfortruckaccessandhaulroutes.

Further,thereisalreadysignificantbusserviceinthe

WestwoodVillageareaprovidedbyMetro,SantaMonica

BigBlueBus,CulverCityMunicipalBusLines,UCLATransit

andothersthatprovidemanyconnectionsbetween

WilshireBoulevardandtheUCLAcampus.

SubwayConstruction,ConstructionImpactsandMitigationMeasures24.

How

will

the

subway

tunnels

and

stations

be

built?

Subwaytunnelswillbebuiltthroughtheuseofclosedface,pressurizedtunnelboring

machines(TBMs). Mostofthetunnelingtakesplacecompletelybelowgroundwithlittle,ifany,

noticeableimpactonthesurfaceoncetheTBMshavebeeninserted.

Subwaystationsarebuiltbyexcavatingthesiteforthestationboxandthenbuildingthe

stationbelowground. Ifthestationisbuiltunderastreet,itiscoveredoverwithconcrete

deckingduringconstructiontoallowtraffictocontinuetoflowoverhead. Trafficwouldbe

disruptedatthebeginningofstationconstructiontoallowforinitialexcavationandinstallation

oftheconcretedecking,andagainattheendtoremovethedeckingandreconstructthestreet.

14
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Pleaseseequestion26formoreinformationaboutsubwayconstructionandquestion37for

moreinformationonimpacts. YoumayalsowishtoviewtheConstructionFactSheet,thepresentationsfromourmeetingsinAugust2009andJanuary2011andthevideoASubway

Story:MetrosWestsideSubwayExtensionforfurtherinformation.

25.Howwillyouavoidconstructionproblemssuchasthosethatoccurredinthe1990sduringconstructionoftheMetroRedLine?

Inrecentyears,Metrohasemployedimprovedtunnelingtechniquestominimizeimpactson

adjacentproperties. Theprimarymethodforavoidingsubsidenceistheuseofclosedface,

pressurizedTBMs. Withthistechnology,pressureismaintainedinthesurroundingearthwhile

thetunnelisbeingexcavated,therebysignificantlyreducingtheriskofsubsidence.

Usingthistechnology,Metrorecentlycompleteda1.8miletunnelfortheMetroGoldLine

EastsideExtensionprojectwithnomeasurablesurfacesubsidenceandnosubstantiated

damageclaimsfromsettlement. Manyothertunnelprojectshavebeenbuiltusingthesenewer

tunnelingtechnologiesinrecentyearswithsimilarsuccessfuloutcomes.

26.Whataretheconstructionimpactsofasubway? Howmightconstructionimpactbusinesses,residents&propertyowners?

ImpactsofconstructionandpotentialmitigationmeasureshavebeenevaluatedduringtheFinal

EIS/EIR. Thevastmajorityofconstructionimpactsarelocatedatthefuturestationsiteswhere

thegroundisopenedfromthesurfaceforstationconstructionandtheextractionofsoilfrom

tunnelboringmachines. Veryfewimpactsoccurintheboredtunnelsegmentsbetween

stationswheretunnelsareverydeepandveryfewsurfaceimpactsarecreated.Typicalimpacts

thatmightoccurduringconstructionincludetemporarylaneorroadwayclosuresinstation

construction

areas

(to

install

decking

over

station

areas

or

for

temporary

placement

of

constructionequipmentormaterials),removingandhaulingearthfromtunnelingandstation

excavation,constructiontrafficandparking,potentialdetourstoreachbusinessesor

residences,andnoiseandairqualityimpacts. Mostoftheseimpactshaveassociatedmitigation

measuresthatseektominimizetheinconvenienceoftheseactivities. (Seequestion24and37

formoreinformationonsubwayconstructionandtheConstructionFactSheet.)Aswithotherpastandcurrentconstructionprojects,Metrowillworktominimizeimpactson

businesses,residentsandpropertyowners. Mitigationmeasuresmightencompassensuring

thatdeckingisflushwiththestreet,locatingearthremovallocationsnearmajorstreetsand

freeways,specifyinghaulroutes,etc. Improvedcommunications,includingsignageand

advertising,

are

typically

employed

to

help

maintain

access

and

encourage

ongoing

patronage

tobusinesses. Inaddition,Metrohasestablishedprocedurestodocumentexistingconditions

atpropertiesalongthesubwayconstructionalignmentinadvanceofconstructiontoaccurately

assessandaddressanydamageclaimsthatmayarise.

TheFinalEIS/EIRincludesaproposedconstructionmitigationplantheMitigationMonitoring

andReportingProgram(MMRP)thatwillbeconsideredforadoptionbytheMetroBoardof

DirectorswhentheyconsidertheFinalEIS/EIR.

15
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27.ArethereotherstepsMetrotakestoworkwithpropertyownersbeforeorduringconstructiontopreventoraddressanydamagethatmayoccur?

Priortobeginninganyworkonaprojectofthisnature,Metroortheconstructioncontractor

willconducta"preconstructionsurvey." Thisisatypicalsurveythatcanbevaluableto

propertyowners,tenantsandMetroasitprotectsallinterestsbyprovidingarecordofbuilding

conditionsprior

to

the

start

of

construction.

This

documentation

normally

includes

written

informationaswellasstillphotosorvideo,andallowsMetrotoquicklyandefficientlyassistin

theunlikelyeventthatconstructionaffectsproperties. Ifanydamageoccurstoabuildingthat

isrelatedtoconstructionofthesubway,thepropertyowner/tenant(s)andMetrocanreferto

thisrecordtoarriveatafairresolution. Aclaimsprocesswillbeestablishedandthe

constructionprojectwillcarryinsurancetoaddressanyoftheseissuesshouldtheyarise.

PleaseseeourConstructionFactSheetandPropertyAcquisitionFactSheetformoreinformation.

Geotechnical&FaultInvestigations28.Metroconductedsoilsandseismicteststhroughoutthestudyarea. Whatwasthisforand

whatwasdiscovered?

DuringdevelopmentoftheFinalEIS/EIR,Metroconductedoneofthemostextensive

geotechnicalandseismicinvestigationsofanytransitprojectatthisphaseofdevelopment

consistingofcloseto600fieldtestsalongtheentireprojectalignmentinthemidWilshire,

Fairfax,BeverlyHills,CenturyCityandWestwoodareas. Theseincludedmorethan200testsin

theCenturyCityarea.Thetestsusedavarietyofequipmenttotestsoilconditions,locateand

analyzefaultzones,determinehownoiseandvibrationwouldtravelinthesoil,assesswater

tables,andmorepreciselylocateabandonedoilwells.

Metroanalyzedallthisdataandprepareddetailedreportsofthefindingsfromallthe

geotechnicalandseismicinvestigations.TheresultsofthesestudiesarecontainedinChapter4

oftheFinalEIS/EIRandinvarioustechnicalsupportdocumentsthatarereferencedinthat

chapter. InformationspecificallydealingwiththeCenturyCityareaiscontainedintwo

technicalreports,theTunnelingSafetyReportandFaultInvestigationReport. ThereisalsoafactsheetspecificallyrelatedtothefindingsintheCenturyCityarea.

29.WhatdidthestudiesfindconcerningtheCenturyCityStationandtunnelsinthearea?ThestudiesconcludedthatastationbelowConstellationBoulevardisviablebecausethe

locationissouthandwestoffaultzoneswherethereisnoevidenceoffaulting. Astationbelow

Santa

Monica

Boulevard

was

found

to

be

not

viable

as

it

is

an

area

of

complex

faulting

where

thefaultzonesextendbeneathandacrossSantaMonicaBoulevard.Further,asubwaycanbe

builtandoperatedsafelytoreachastationatConstellationBoulevardwithlittletonoimpacts

topeopleorproperty.

Therewerethreelevelsofanalysisforthestudiesthatledtothisconclusion:Metrosconsultant

geotechnicalexperts,itsTunnelAdvisoryPanel(TAP)thathasbeenworkingwithMetrosince

1995onalltunnelingprojects,andanindependentpanelofworldrenownedexpertsthat

MetrosCEOrequestedasanadditionallevelofindependentreview.

16
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Fault Zones in the Century City area

Safety30.Iveheardthatthereissubsurfacegasandtarinthestudyarea.HowcanIbesurethatthe

systemcanbeconstructedandoperatesafely?

SubsurfacegasispresentthroughoutmuchofthegreaterLosAngelesareaandisprevalent

throughouttheentireWestsideSubwayExtensionalignmentarea. Thehighestconcentrations

ofundergroundgassesarefoundintheareaimmediatelysurroundingtheFairfaxDistrictinthe

areaneartotheLaBreaTarPits. Lowerlevelsofgasconcentrationsarefoundinotherpartsof

thecorridor. Whiletunnelingfortransportationprojectscallsforspecialconsiderations,other

projectshavebeensuccessfullyandsafelyconstructedinsubsurfacegaszoneswithinthe

projectareaincludingbuildingswithdeepparkinggaragesandbasements,stormdrains,sewer

projectsand

other

utility

projects.

Similar

protocols

for

safety

and

testing

apply

to

these

projectsastheydoforanytransportationproject.

Safety,bothduringconstructionandeventualoperations,isoneofMetroshighestpriorities.It

wasalsooneofthekeyevaluationcriteriaduringtheDraftEIS/EIR,andhasbeenfurther

evaluatedasapartoftheFinalEIS/EIR. InformationonthistopicintheFinalEIS/EIRcanbe

foundinChapter4.

WehavesafelyoperatedthecurrentMetroRed/PurpleLinesubwayforover15yearsandhave

17


18/23


successfullyconstructedsubwaytunnelswheresubsurfacegashasbeenpresent. In2005,an

AmericanPublicTransitAssociationPeerReviewPaneldeterminedthatItispossibletotunnel

andoperateasubwayalongtheWilshireCorridorsafely.

Duringconstruction,thepressurefaceTBMsisolategasfromworkersandthepublic,while

gassysoil

and

tar

sands

are

separated

and

treated

appropriately.

Enhanced

ventilation

systems

willbeusedwherenecessarytoensuretunnelandstationsafetyand,ifnecessary,double

gasketsforthetunnelliningorothermeasuresmayalsobeinstalled.

Whereneeded,tunnelsandstationswillbedesignedandbuilttoprovidearedundant

protectionsystemagainstgasintrusion.Thismightinclude:

Physicalbarrierstokeepgasoutofthetunnels

Highvolumeventilationsystems

Gasdetectionsystemswithalarms

Emergencyventilationtriggeredbythegasdetectionsystems.

Duringoperations,safetycodesrequirerigorousandcontinuousgasmonitoring,alarms,

automaticequipmentshutoffandadditionalpersonneltraining.

PleaseseeourConstructionFactSheetformoreinformation. YoumayalsowishtoviewthepresentationfromourmeetingsinAugust2009andJanuary2011formoreinformationabout

subwayconstruction,aswellasthevideoASubwayStory:MetrosWestsideSubway

Extension.

31.Howcansubwaysbebuiltandoperatesafelyinanareawithearthquakefaults?Manyundergroundfacilitiessubwaytunnels,sewers,stormdrainsandbuildingshavebeen

builtin

Los

Angeles

and

throughout

California

near

active

fault

lines.

California

has

some

of

the

strictestbuildingstandardswhenitcomestodesigninginfrastructuretowithstandearthquakes.

Oneoftheinitialstepsinplanningatransportation projectlikeasubwayistoidentifywhere

faultsarelocatedandunderstandtheircharacteristics. Thegoalinplanningthesubwayisto

avoidfaultsifpossible. Ifthatisnotpossible,theneveryeffortismadetominimizeexposureto

thefault(s). Thiscanbeaccomplishedbycrossingafaultinaperpendicularorientation.

Variousspecialengineeringtechniqueshavebeenemployedinfaultzonestoreducetheriskof

damage,limitanydamagethatmayoccur,andallowforaswiftreturntoregularoperations

shouldaseismiceventtakeplace. Thiscanincludeconstructinglargerdiametertunnelswith

secondaryliningsortheuseofenhancedtunnelliningsandothermeasurestoaccommodate

groundmovement

in

fault

zones.

No

transit

agency

in

North

America

has

knowingly

built

asubwaystationwithinaknownactivefaultzone. Infact,theCrenshaw/LAXlightrailproject

anotherMetroprojectcurrentlybeingdevelopedmovedthelocationofitsplannedLaBrea

stationtoavoidhavingitsitatoptheNewportInglewoodFault.

Subwaysthroughouttheworldhaveexcellentrecordsofwithstandingmajorearthquakesover

thelast25years. Theyhaveperformedwellduringearthquakeswithnodamageorservice

interruptions,includingaftertheNorthridgeearthquakein1994. TheMetroRedLinetunnels

crosstheHollywoodfaultnorthoftheHollywood&HighlandStation.

18
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Metrohasrecentlypreparedandpublishedadetailedreportofitsinvestigationofthefaultsin

theareaaroundCenturyCitywhereseismicfeaturesintheareahaveinfluenceddecisions

regardingstationlocationsandtunnelalignments.ThisseismicanalysisshowsthattheSanta

MonicaFaultZoneappearstoextendundertheLosAngelesCountryClubandbeneathSanta

MonicaBoulevardfromthevicinitybetweenCenturyParkEastandAvenueoftheStarsand

extendingwest

until

it

begins

to

turn

away

from

Santa

Monica

Boulevard

somewhere

near

intersectionofWestwoodBoulevard. InadditiontotheSantaMonicaFault,Metrohassought

tobetterunderstandtheWestBeverlyHillsLineament. Thisseismicfeaturerunsnorthsouth

throughthewesternpartoftheCityofBeverlyHillsneartheBeverlyHillsHighSchool.

Metrohasanalyzedallthisdataandhaspreparedadetailedreportofthefindingsfromallthe

geotechnicalandseismicinvestigations.TheresultsofthesestudiesarecontainedinChapter4

oftheFinalEIS/EIR. Therearealsotwotechnicalreports,theTunnelingSafetyReportandFaultInvestigationReport,thatrelatespecificallytothefindingsintheCenturyCityarea. ThereisalsoafactsheetsummarizingthefindingsintheCenturyCityarea.

32.Howcantunnelingbecompletedsafelythroughanareawherethereareoilfieldsandwells,manyofwhichhavebeenabandonedandsomeofwhicharestillactive?

GreaterLosAngelesisanoilproducingareaandthereissignificantlocalexperiencebuilding

projectsofallkindshere. DuringtheDraftEIS/EIR,knownoilfieldsandactiveorabandonedoil

wellswereidentifiedfromoilwellmaps.Thisinitialanalysisindicatedthattheoilfieldsare

muchdeeperthanthepotentialsubwaytunnels. Shaftsforactiveandabandonedoilwellsare

alsolocatedinthevicinityoftheprojectalignmentalongwithotherutilitiessuchassewer,

water,gasandelectriclines. ThesewerefurthermappedduringFinalEIS/EIR/PEphaseandwill

berelocated,ifnecessary,duringtheconstructionphaseoftheproject. Thereareestablished

procedures,regulatedbygovernmentagencies,fordealingsafelywithanyunmappedor

unknownwellsthatareencounteredduringconstruction.Astandardpracticeistouse

horizontal,belowgroundprobestoinvestigatethepathsoftunnelssothatanyabandonedor

unmappedoilwellscanbelocatedandremovedinadvanceoftunnelingoperations. Metro

recentlytunneledsuccessfullythroughtheformerBoyleHeightsoilfieldwhileconstructingthe

MetroGoldLineEastsideExtension.

ConstructionandOperationsUnderandOnPrivateProperty33.Willthetrainsoperateunderresidentialorotherprivatepropertyorsensitivelanduses,such

asschools? Whatcouldtheimpactsbe?

MostofMetrossubwaytunnelstravelundercitystreetshowever,itisverycommonfor

subways

along

segments

of

the

Metro

System

and

throughout

the

world

to

operate

under

residentialandprivateproperties. InLosAngeles,Metroraillinespassbeneathproperties

generallyinlocationswherethesubwayhastomaketurns,forexample,inDowntownLos

Angeles,MidWilshire,HollywoodandUniversalCity. Thenormalcurveradiusforsubway

tunnelsis1,000feet,muchwiderthanaturnatatypicalsurfacestreetintersection. Please

refertoourtunnelingpresentationfromMay/June2010forareaswhereMetrotunnelstravel

beneathprivateproperty.

TheWestsideSubwayExtension,ascurrentlyrecommended,hasbeenplannedtooperate

mostlyunderWilshireBoulevardhowevertherearesegmentswherethiswillnotbepossible.

19
http://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/century_city_area_tunneling_safety_report.pdfhttp://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/century_city_area_tunneling_safety_report.pdfhttp://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/century_city_area_tunneling_safety_report.pdfhttp://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/century_city_area_tunneling_safety_report.pdfhttp://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/century_city_area_tunneling_safety_report.pdfhttp://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/fault_report.pdfhttp://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/fault_report.pdfhttp://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/fault_report.pdfhttp://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/fault_report.pdfhttp://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/fault_report.pdfhttp://www.metro.net/projects/westside/subway-planning-century-city-areahttp://www.metro.net/projects/westside/subway-planning-century-city-areahttp://www.metro.net/projects/westside/subway-planning-century-city-areahttp://www.metro.net/projects/westside/draft-eis-eir-sept-2010http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/draft-eis-eir-sept-2010http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/draft-eis-eir-sept-2010http://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/Combined-Tunneling-Presentation-may-june-2010.pdfhttp://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/Combined-Tunneling-Presentation-may-june-2010.pdfhttp://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/Combined-Tunneling-Presentation-may-june-2010.pdfhttp://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/Combined-Tunneling-Presentation-may-june-2010.pdfhttp://www.metro.net/projects/westside/draft-eis-eir-sept-2010http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/subway-planning-century-city-areahttp://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/fault_report.pdfhttp://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/fault_report.pdfhttp://www.metro.net/projects_studies/westside/images/century_city_area_tunneling_safety_report.pdf


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InordertoreachtherecommendedCenturyCitystationlocation,thesubwaytunnelwillneed

topassbelowhomesandbusinessesinsouthwestBeverlyHillsandbelowBeverlyHillsHigh

School. Thetunnelwillalsohavetotravelbeneathresidentialandcommercialproperty

betweenCenturyCityandWestwood.

Sincethe

first

segment

of

the

subway

opened

in

1993,

Metro

has

received

no

complaints

about

noiseorvibrationduetosubwayoperationsfromthoselivingorworkingabovethetunnelsor

stations. Additionally,intheNorthHollywoodarea,therearesoundrecordingstudiosadjacent

tocurrentsubwaytunnels. Thesestudiosutilizesensitiveequipmentcapableofdetectingnoise

andvibrationthatwouldotherwisebeimperceptible. Specialtrackworkintheseareasensures

thatthestudiosareabletocontinueoperationwithoutbeingimpactedbythesubway

operations.

34.Howdeepwillthetunnelsrunbelowprivateproperty?ThetopsofsubwaytunnelsontheMetroRedandPurpleLinesaretypicallybetween40and70

feetbelowthesurface,andaredesignedtominimizenoiseandvibration. Insomeinstances,

thetunnelsaremorethan600feetdeep,suchasintheareabetweenHollywoodandUniversal

CitywherethesubwaytunnelspassundertheSantaMonicaMountains. Inthe

Westwood/ComstockHillsarea,wheretheWestsideSubwayExtensionwouldtravelbetween

CenturyCityandWestwood,thetopographyofthelandrisesandthetunnelswillbeboredat

depthsthatvarybetween70and120feetbelowgrounddependingonthesurfacetopography

above. WherethealignmenttravelsunderBeverlyHillsHighSchool,thetopofthetunnels

wouldbeapproximately55to70feetbelowground. AsnotedinQuestion27,additional

detailedgeotechnicalstudieshavebeenconductedduringtheFinalEIS/EIRtoassesssoil

conditionsanddeterminethepotentialfornoiseorvibrationimpactsonthesurfacealongthe

refinedalignments. ThishasincludedmeasurementsattheBeverlyHillsHighSchoolsite,as

well

as

in

the

residential

area

between

the

Century

City

and

Westwood/

UCLA

stations.

35.Isitpossibletoconstructnewbuildingsorremodelexistingonesabovesubwaytunnelsandstations? Whatsortofrestrictionswouldapplytotheconstructionofbuildingsabovethe

subway?

Yes,itispossibletobuildorremodelbuildingsabovesubwaytunnelsandstations. Thereare

manyexamplesofnewandremodeledbuildingsabovetheexistingRedandPurpleLinetunnels

andstations.

TheeasementthatMetrobuysfrompropertyownersextends10feetabovethetopofthe

tunnel,notallthewaytothesurface. Whetherthetunnelsandstationsarebuiltbefore

construction

on

the

surface

occurs,

at

the

same

time,

or

after,

Metro

typically

works

with

the

propertyownerordevelopertoensurethatbothcanbeaccommodated. AsapartoftheFinal

EIS/EIRandongoingprojectdesign,Metrosolicitsthecooperationofpropertyownersalongthe

proposedsubwayroutessothatsuchissuescanbefullyaddressed.

PleaseseeourPropertyAcquisitionFactSheetformoreinformation.36.Arethereanyexistingsubwayscurrentlylocatedbelowschools?

TherearerailtunnelsalreadyinexistencebelowschoolsinCaliforniaaswellasothers

elsewhereintheUnitedStates. InCaliforniasomeoftheseincludetheWestPortalElementary

20
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21/23


SchoolinSanFrancisco,theBentleySchoolinBerkeley,andYoungOakKimAcademyMiddle

SchoolinLosAngeles. SomeschoolsoutsideofCaliforniaincludeEastSylvanMiddleSchoolin

Portland,Ore.,JeffersonMiddleSchoolandWoodrowWilsonHighSchoolbothinWashington,

DC,andtheGlobalVillageSchoolinDecatur,Georgia.

37.WhatdidtheFinalEIS/EIRfindaboutnoiseandvibrationfromthesubway?AsdiscussedinQuestion26,thegreatestconstructionimpactsduringconstructionwilloccurat

thefuturestationsites. Noiseintheseareaswouldbesimilartowhatisfoundatmajorbuilding

constructionsites. Noisecontrolandmonitoringplanswillbedeveloped. Theywillincludean

inventoryofconstructionequipmentusedduringdaytimeandnighttimehours,anestimateof

projectedconstructionnoiselevels,andlocationsandtypesofnoiseabatementmeasuresthat

mayberequiredtomeetacceptablenoiselimits. Wherenighttimeconstructionactivitiesare

expectedtooccur,Metrowillerectnoisebarrierwallsateachconstructionsitepriortothe

startofconstructionactivities.

Veryfewimpactswilloccurintheboredtunnelsegmentsbetweenthestationswherethe

tunnelsareverydeepandveryfewsurfaceimpactsarecreated. Insomelocations,thetunnel

boringmachines(TBMs)maybefeltforashorttimeamatterofafewhourstoafewdaysin

structuresonthesurfaceastheTBMspassdirectlybeneaththosestructures. Oncethattaskis

complete,propertiesabovethetunnelsmightpotentiallyfeeltheconstructionrailcarsthatwill

travelinthetunnelsremovingtheexcavateddirt. Theseactivitieswillbemonitored,andifthey

exceedacceptablelevels,stepswillbetakentoreducetheimpact. Stepscouldincludereducing

theconstructiontrainspeeds,installingadditionalrailvibrationdampeningtreatmentsand

morefrequentrailandwheelmaintenance. DuringrecentconstructionoftheMetroGoldLine

EastsideExtensiontunnels,nonoisecomplaintswerereceivedassociatedwiththeTBMorthe

constructiontrains.Onceconstructioniscompletedandthepassengertrainsbegintooperateforpublicuse,the

FinalEIS/EIRfoundthattherewereonlythreelocationswherenoiseandvibrationfromthe

subwaywouldexceedthresholdsestablishedbytheFederalTransitAdministration. Twoof

theseweretheaterstheWilshire/EbellTheaternearCrenshawBoulevardandtheSaban

TheaternearLaCienega. OneapartmentbuildingnearLaBreawasalsoidentified. TheFinal

EIS/EIRindicatesthattheseimpactscanbefullymitigated. Nootherpropertiesareexpectedto

havepermanentnoiseorvibrationimpactsduringoperationthatwillrequiremitigation.

PleaseseeChapter4oftheFinalEIS/EIRformoreinformationontheseimpactsandproposed

mitigations.

21


22/23


38.WillMetrotakeorcondemnprivatepropertyneededforconstruction,stationentrancesorotherpurposes?

MetroonlyownspropertyattwolocationsalongthealignmentatWilshire/Crenshaw(SW

corner)andatWilshire/LaBrea(NWcorner). SincenostationisplannedforCrenshaw,that

propertywilllikelybeusedforconstructionstagingandpossiblyasasiteforatunnelventilation

structureor

power

substation.

The

Metro

property

at

Wilshire/La

Brea

is

expected

to

be

used

firstasaconstructionstagingareaandthenasthelocationoftheLaBreastationentrance.

Atotherstationlocations,Metropreferstoworkinpartnershipwithadjacentpropertyowners

tosecurepropertyneededduringconstructionorforstationentrances. Manypropertyowners

finditbeneficialtohaveeasyaccesstothesubwayandsomehavealreadycontactedMetro

aboutallowingforfuturesubwayentrancestotheirbuildings/property.

Wherethesubwayoperatesunderprivateproperty,Metrowillworkwiththepropertyowner

tosecureaneasement.

Asalastresort,ifagreementswithpropertyownerscannotbereached,Metromaythenuseits

condemnationpowerstoacquirethenecessaryeasementsfortheproject.

Formoreinformation,pleaseseeourPropertyAcquisitionFactSheet.StationAccess39.HowwillIbeabletoaccessthestations? Howeasywillitbetogetfromthestationstowhere

Iwanttogo?

ThesevennewstationsarelocatedatorwithineasywalkingdistanceofmajorWestside

destinations

including

the

Los

Angeles

County

Museum

of

Art,

the

Beverly

Hills

Golden

Triangle,CenturyCity,WestwoodVillageandtheVeteransAdministrationcomplex. Metrowill

worktodesignthestationsasmuchaspossiblewithimprovedpedestrianandbicyclefacilities,

andeasytransferstoareabusesandshuttleswhichshouldprovideashortridetoother

destinationssuchasUCLA,FarmersMarketandCedarsSinaiMedicalCenter.

40.Willtherebeparkingatthestations? Willitbefree?ThestationsontheWestsideSubwayExtensionareinbuiltupurbanareaswhereproviding

dedicatedsubwayparkingwouldbecostly,difficulttomeshwiththeurbanenvironmentand

wouldultimatelyhavelimitedimpactonridership. Existingbuildingswouldneedtobeacquired

anddemolishedtomakeroomforparkinggaragesandthecostofprovidingfreeorhighly

subsidized

parking

at

the

sites

would

be

quite

high.

Enforcement

of

free

or

highly

subsidized

parkingfortransitpatronswouldbedifficultasnontransituserswouldseektoparkinsuch

facilitiestoavoidpayinghigherparkingratesatcommerciallots. Manyofthesestationsare

alsodestinationstations,withriderscommutingtotheWestsideforemployment.

TheDraftEIS/EIRevaluatedthestationlocationswithouttheprovisionofdedicatedparkingand

estimatedwhattheparkingdemandmightbeatthestations,availablepublicandprivate

parkingthatalreadyexistsinthestationareasthatcouldpossiblybesharedforsubway

purposes,andthepotentialforspilloverparkingintoneighborhoodsnearstations. Duringthe

publiccommentperiodfortheDraftEIS/EIR,numerouscommentswerereceivedonthisissue,

22
http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/Westside-property-acquisition-fact-sheethttp://www.metro.net/projects/westside/Westside-property-acquisition-fact-sheethttp://www.metro.net/projects/westside/Westside-property-acquisition-fact-sheethttp://www.metro.net/projects/westside/Westside-property-acquisition-fact-sheethttp://www.metro.net/projects/westside/Westside-property-acquisition-fact-sheethttp://www.metro.net/projects/westside/Westside-property-acquisition-fact-sheethttp://www.metro.net/projects/westside/Westside-property-acquisition-fact-sheethttp://www.metro.net/projects/westside/draft-eis-eir-sept-2010http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/draft-eis-eir-sept-2010http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/draft-eis-eir-sept-2010http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/draft-eis-eir-sept-2010http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/Westside-property-acquisition-fact-sheet


23/23


whichwerefurtherevaluatedandaddressedintheFinalEIS/EIR.Wherepossible,Metrowill

workwithexistingparkingoperatorstoexploresharedparkingopportunitiesatstations.

StationareaparkingisdiscussedinmoredetailinChapter3oftheFinalEIS/EIR.

ThecurrentMetroRed/PurpleLineSubwayhasdedicatedparkingonlyatthestationsatNorth

Hollywood,Universal

City,

and

Union

Station.

Union

Station

offers

paid

parking.

North

HollywoodandUniversalCityStationsofferamixoffreeparkingandpaid/reservedparking.

PublicInvolvement41.HowcanIbeinvolvedinthedecisionmakingprocess?HowcanIstayinformedaboutthis

study?Youcanregistertoreceivefutureupdatesontheprojectandmeetingnoticesbygoingto

ContactUs. Youcanleaveaphonemessageforusattheprojectinformationlineat213922

6934. YoucanalsofindusonFacebookoryoucanfollowusonTwitter.

DuringtheFinalEIS/EIR,Metrohasconductedtworoundsofcommunityupdatemeetings.

ThreeroundsofmeetingswerealsoMetroalsoheldmeetingswithStationAreaAdvisory

Groupsappointedtoprovideinputonthelocationsofstationentrancesandotherfeaturesin

thestationareas. Thesegroupsincludedpropertyowners,communityleaders,business

ownersandrepresentativesofkeyinstitutionssurroundingeachstation.

WiththereleaseoftheFinalEIS/EIR,Metrohasscheduledanotherroundofpublicmeetingson

March26,28and29.

42.CanMetromakeapresentationtomyneighborhoodorbusinessorganization?Please

leave

a

message

on

the

project

phone

line

at

(213)

922

6934,

or

leave

the

request

by

goingtoContactUs. AMetrorepresentativewillcontactyoutoarrangeameetingforyour

grouportoinviteyoutooneplannedinyourarea.
http://www.metro.net/projects/westside/questions-comments-form-wufoohttp://www.metro.net/projects/westside/questions-comments-form-wufoohttp://www.metro.net/projects/westside/questions-comments-form-wufoohttp://www.metro.net/projects/westside/questions-comments-form-wufoohttps://www.facebook.com/westsidesubwayextensionhttps://twitter.com/westsidesubwayhttp://www.metro.net/projects/westside/questions-comments-form-wufoohttp://www.metro.net/projects/westside/questions-comments-form-wufoohttp://www.metro.net/projects/westside/questions-comments-form-wufoohttp://www.metro.net/projects/westside/questions-comments-form-wufoohttps://twitter.com/westsidesubwayhttps://www.facebook.com/westsidesubwayextensionhttp://www.metro.net/projects/westside/questions-comments-form-wufoo

Documents

Westside Subway FAQ, March 2012