Regional Connector Goes to Metro Board Minus One Station
Metro
This station at 5th and Flower would be deleted from Regional Connector planning if Metro's Board of Director approves the staff recommendation.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — After two and a half years of public input, Metro's Board of Directors will get the final say Thursday on how planning should proceed for the Regional Connector, a $1.3-billion project designed to join the region's light rail lines into a single system.
The project recommended by the transit agency's staff would create an entirely underground link between the Blue Line's current terminus at 7th and Metro and the Gold Line's tracks at 1st and Alameda, adding stations at 2nd/Hope and 2nd/Broadway and replacing the existing Little Tokyo / Arts District Gold Line station with one that is underground.
It won't, however, add a station at 5th and Flower as earlier proposals had done.
That station was recommended for removal earlier this month as planners sought to bring the project back within the budget numbers set in earlier plans. Each stop has a roughly $185-million price tag.
If one station had to be cut, removing the 5th and Flower stop was "the least damaging within the system," explained Metro Planning Director Robin Blair on Tuesday.
Metro is also studying the possibility of adding more portals to the nearby 7th and Metro station to help alleviate the overcrowding created by the 90,000 passengers the agency expects to ride through the Connector. It may be possible to convert existing emergency exits north of 7th street to passenger service, Blair explained.
Still, 5th and Flower does have its backers. On Monday, Metro held a meeting with property owners around the intersection. "I think what we gleaned from that is that there's a lot of support for keeping that station alive," said Ann Kerman, who handles communications for the project.
The City of Los Angeles is also a proponent. In its multi-agency comments on the project's draft environmental documents, the city urged Metro to keep the station. 5th and Flower "can attract a wider array of transit users and relieve overcrowding," it said, calling the station "integral."
While the board could choose Thursday to add the station back to the "Locally Preferred Alternative" (LPA), it is much more likely that a motion would be made to maintain 5th and Flower as an optional station, proceeding with study while not formally changing the project's cost numbers. Doing so would cost approximately $2.5 million.
"That buys you about 12 to 14 months," said Blair. At that point, funding for the station would either need to be identified or the station would need to be officially dropped from plans.
Metro hopes to get at least half of the project's funding from the Federal Transit Administration's New Starts program. A draft request has already been submitted, and the board's approval of the LPA this year would allow Metro to quickly seek engineering funds.
The need to move forward quickly may ultimately make any attempts to add the 5th and Flower station back as a full part of the project damaging to the overall Connector effort.
"We are in a very tough budget process," Blair said. "To try and propose a project that does not have funding is to really defeat the project ultimately."
Metro currently anticipates opening the Regional Connector in 2019.
Connector By the Numbers
- 1.9 miles of new track
- 20,400 daily hours of commute time saved (6,477,000 hours annually)
- 17,300 new transit trips
A Long Road Underground
The Regional Connector's recommended fully-underground alternative was not officially added to the project until February of this year. When the agency started its public outreach in late 2007, staff seemed convinced that an aboveground or partially-underground project was all that could be funded. While community feedback was clearly in support of a fully-underground option right from the beginning, the Little Tokyo community's organized calls for an underground line likely played the largest role in getting the project to its current point.
Construction Impacts
Even though it appears headed underground, construction of the Regional Connector will still create impacts for Downtown.
Cut-and-cover construction would be used along approximately 1,600 feet of Flower Street between 7th and Metro and the planned 2nd and Hope station. Tunnel boring machines (TBMs) would dig out the section of track below 2nd street, but surface holes will still be needed in the spots where the TBMs are inserted and at the 2nd and Broadway station.
Coleman Engellenner on October 26, 2010, at 11:17PM – #1
The biggest issue I - and many residents of the Higgins Building - had with the Draft EIR was that it called for the buildings on 2nd & Spring (currently housing the credit union, the cigar shop and the City Employees store) to be raised to house construction equipment during the station construction on 2nd between Broadway and Spring. What baffled us was why they would consider knocking down a building when they have an empty lot in the former Federal Building site sitting on the opposite block (bound by 2nd, Broadway, 1st and Hill).
The buildings in question may be a shell of their former selves, and not worth saving architecturally, but why take down a building with existing businesses that add to the street life at night - specifically the cigar shop?
Does anyone know if this piece of the Draft EIR made it through to the final recommendation?
Guest on October 27, 2010, at 12:16AM – #2
The buildings at the corner of 2nd and spring are atrocious.. They are an eyesore... and if the EIR recommends tearing them down.. hallelujah. Yes, it may be unfortunate for the existing businesses, but they could relocate nearby. If any block needs to be rebuilt, especially with a new heavily used underground station right there, its this block.
Brigham Yen on October 27, 2010, at 01:39AM – #3
I'm a little confused. What I'm understanding is that the 5th/Flower station will be considered an optional station and funding for it must be found in 12 to 14 months from the FEIR adoption by the Metro board.
However, then he states that having a station in the plans without funding could jeopardize the whole entire regional connector. Am I getting that right?
Ginny?
Guest on October 27, 2010, at 01:51AM – #4
After all of Little Tokyo's business owners had discussed about the plan of the METRO Regional Connector on 10/5 at Miyako inn hotel, They accumulated 1,222 signatures against the plan and officially submitted all to METRO and all City Council members include Ms.Jan Perry. However, the Metro Planning & Programming Committee just ignored their petition and has passed the Fully Underground LRT Alterative on 10/20. And also the Measure R Project Delivery Committee has passed it on 10/21. Now, Many people in Little Tokyo have anger and say they will fight with Metro for protecting their town. So sad...
Guest on October 27, 2010, at 08:42AM – #5
losing the 5th street station is a short term gain but it is not good for the city long term - sorry to see it go!!! it would have been so great for that area!
Scott Mercer on October 27, 2010, at 09:30AM – #6
There are emergency exits as far north as Sixth and Flower (Right next to Daily Grill).
Placing a portal there would put the entrance only one block away from Fifth and Flower. Small consolation, but if that's all that can be done, it's a partial win. I wonder how much it costs to build a portal, versus 185 million for a full station?
Also, what's up with this sudden infusion of NIMBY nonsense in Little Tokyo? They have been having Regional Connector meetings for OVER TWO YEARS. I have been to many of them, and never once did I hear ONE objection or question about the project from anyone from Little Tokyo.
They had their chance to get involved and they ignored it. The Regional Connector project will benefit all of Los Angeles County, and it won't harm Little Tokyo.
Any small problems that crop up will be taken care of, Metro has money set aside for mitigating problems that business owners go through. North Hollywood and Hollywood survived the Red Line construction, in spite of the problems there. The Gold Line extension in East LA (which Little Tokyo was part of) did not have any of those problems.
Guest on October 27, 2010, at 10:24AM – #7
A portal on 6th Street is a great idea. NYC subways have numerous exits, and you chose the exit closest to the direction you will be walking (think of "47-50 St. Rockefeller Center"). In fact, you even choose where you sit on the train based on your final destination. Want to exit at 47th and head south - ride the back of the train. Want to exit at 50th and head north - ride the front of the train.
This is a much smarter alternative to building an entire station on 5th Street. It is just a shame we didn't build it years ago. That was shortsighted.
Eric Richardson (@blogdowntown) on October 27, 2010, at 10:34AM – #8
Brigham: Adding 5th and Flower as an optional station costs roughly $2.5 million and buys you a year. Blair was saying that to change course right now and return to a fully four-station project could jeopardize the whole effort.
Brigham Yen on October 27, 2010, at 03:56PM – #9
Thanks for clarifying that Eric. I understand now.
I actually now agree with Scott Mercer and Guest #7 about extending the portal to 6th/Flower, if we can, and forsake the 5th/Flower station altogether and put that $2.5 million toward other transit enhancements to the line.
I agree that just having an extra portal extending that far up north Flower St. will give people the perception that they're that much closer to their destination in the Financial District. Some of the portals/concourses in transit-oriented cities like Taipei, New York, Paris, etc. have extremely large stations with multiple portals.
In fact, why not put that $2.5 million toward connecting the 7th/Metro station all the way to the underground mall 505 Flower?
If what Scott Mercer is saying is correct that we can theoretically extend all the way to Daily Grill, that is just "a few feet" from the 505 Flower underground mall. Many cities around the world have subways that go DIRECTLY RIGHT INTO underground shopping centers (Montreal, Toronto, New York, Taipei, Tokyo, etc.).
I believe that LA will have the density to support that paradigm once all these rail projects are completed. I usually would not advocate underground malls, but knowing very well that many dense cities have underground malls without any detrimental effect to the pedestrian vibrancy on the street level above, I support connecting 505 Flower with the 7th/Metro station and dropping the 5th/Flower station.
Guest on October 28, 2010, at 11:47AM – #10
It would be great if we could keep the 5th and Fig connector. That corner is important. The Library is important to L.A residents.
Scott Mercer on October 28, 2010, at 01:15PM – #11
Cool, let's not forget about this, and keep on Metro's back to build a portal at 6th/Flower and an underground passageway into the shopping mall at 5th/Flower.