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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

TRANSIT—Transit Fixes Stuck in Slow Lane

For the first time in a long time, the San Fernando Valley is awash in money for transportation improvements. But if officials don’t act quickly on more than $4.5 billion in state surplus funds promised by Gov. Gray Davis, it could be diverted elsewhere, into social services or education. “We need to spend the money quickly,” said former state Assemblyman Richard Katz, who spent 10 years as chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee and moderated an Oct. 19 Valley “transportation accountability summit.” Katz’s concerns about moving quickly on money promised to ease Valley congestion over the next decade is shared by other local political leaders, and led to the gathering earlier this month designed to deliver one message to the various government agencies involved: Hurry up. Although Davis signed legislation approving the funding for the Valley last spring, many of the decisions required let alone the specific projects themselves are still years away. At this point, most of the projects for which the $4.5 billion has been earmarked are still in the environmental study or planning stages and are liable to be there for some time. Ground is not likely to be broken on any construction projects for at least a couple of years. It is true that Caltrans has begun a $250 million sound wall construction project throughout Los Angeles. Also, work is in progress on carpool lanes on the southbound San Diego (405) Freeway between the 101 interchange and Waterford Street in Brentwood. However: – Almost $190 million is promised for carpool lanes on Interstate 5 through the Valley, but construction isn’t slated to start until 2002. – So far only a $500,000 study has been authorized to determine whether a connector lane needs to be added to the 134 Freeway at the I-5 intersection. – Construction on a $25 million carpool lane on the southbound 405 from Waterford to the Santa Monica (10) Freeway won’t begin until 2003. – A $90 million carpool lane for the northbound 405 will be done in phases, but won’t even start for five or six more years. – Construction, tagged at $21 million, to ease traffic congestion at the 101/405 interchange is at least several years away and, when it does get underway, it will be done in phases over a six-year period. – There is $100 million for a north-south Rapid Transit bus corridor through the Valley, but the exact route is still undetermined. – Finally, a $145 million Rapid Bus corridor from North Hollywood to Warner Center is still in the planning process. “We’ve got to make some decisions,” said County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky. Nevertheless, Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg said of the approval of funding by Davis last spring, “It was a good year. In the Valley, we have almost all the money needed to complete transportation projects.” Speaker’s clout Hertzberg promised to use his position to make sure Valley-related projects are on track and to look for ways to remove red tape that could delay them. “We need to set a timetable and hold ourselves accountable,” he said. “People are sick and tired of all of us as politicians. Decisions have to be made.” Valley civic leaders consider Hertzberg their greatest asset in getting improvements moving. “Bob’s commitment is significant,” said David Fleming, chairman of the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley. “He’s got the power of the purse string, he oversees the agencies and he oversees the budget.” “It certainly showed their commitment,” said Bob Scott, a Valley attorney and co-chair of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, of the agencies that appeared at the Oct. 19 summit, “but I’d like to see something with more substance.” Allen Lawrence, a member of the California Transportation Commission, wondered why it would take the L.A. Department of Transportation five years to complete additional signal priority systems, which operate traffic lights through sensors and a computer tracking system that allows buses and traffic to move faster. The $16 million needed for the additional systems has been approved and no environmental research work is required. “It’s a simple project and I don’t see why it should take until 2005,” Lawrence said. “It should be done in one to two years.” Staffing up For its part, Caltrans plans to hire 1,000 more engineers over the next year, which director Jeff Morales said would help speed up project construction. Also, because the $4.5 billion comes from the state’s general fund rather than its transportation fund, there is less red tape involved before projects can be green-lighted, which should also help move the process along faster. But local civic leaders said the job of making sure the projects get done is up to them. “We have to keep the whip out and take a look at this in six months,” Katz said. The underlying push is for more public transportation both funding to add dedicated bus lanes and encouragement to the public to use it. Katz complained about the hour it took him to drive 15 miles from Sylmar to Universal City on the morning of the summit. “It’s clearly not my fault, since I was driving here alone in my car,” he joked. “In L.A., we want public transit to get you out of my way on the freeway.” Jaime de la Vega, an L.A. assistant deputy mayor, said a separate transit zone for the Valley should be considered, as well as asking the state for money to improve bus operations. “We need to make the Valley a better place, not just to drive, but to walk,” de la Vega said. Even Morales stressed that his department, known primarily for building freeways, is now focused on transportation as a whole, not just road improvements. “Our mission is to improve mobility, not to build things,” Morales said.

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