Don’t jump ship What subway? The SFVBJ opines that we in the Valley should forget the subway (“Forget Valley subway” January). Some of the Valley’s business leaders appear to be against the subway, but upon further reading, they advocate building exactly that. This problem with semantics is fostered by an incompetent press that refuses to educate itself on what the MTA proposes for the Valley’s east-west line. Webster’s defines the term “subway” as “an underground metropolitan electric railway or the tunnel through which this runs.” Thus, anything underground, whether it be “deep-bore” or “cut-and-cover,” is a subway. Approximately one-third of the first phase of the proposed east-west line from North Hollywood to the Sepulveda Basin is not in a subway, but is in an aerial configuration. The line is proposed to be at-grade through the Sepulveda Basin, and is therefore, not a subway. The current studies being done by MTA consultants include efforts to find alternatives to deep-bore tunneling, such as constructing the line in a deep trench which will both save costs and make the view for the transit rider far more pleasant than looking at the dark walls of a subway. So, if you want to kill the Valley “subway,” understand it is not a subway you are seeking to kill, but a heavy rail that uses subway construction on certain portions of the line. Proponents of Valley rail have consistently advocated cost-effective construction using a subway only where it is required. That includes Valley Industry and Commerce Association. It is this proposal that continues to warrant the support of Valley citizens who recognize that transportation improvements are needed here. The Valley deserves its fair share of the tax dollars going to build Metro Rail. Now is no time to jump ship. The elected officials who serve on the MTA Board have created far more difficulties than any of the MTA’s contractors. But as troublesome as this conduct has been, we are still making great progress in constructing a rail system for which we will all be proud. ROGER L. STANARD Stanard, Blender & Schwartz Woodland Hills
