Backlash Against Extension of Purple Line to the West Side
The Purple line has its origins in the Red line which fist opened in 1993. The Red line connects Union Station and Hollywood. While the Purple line connects Union Station and Koreatown. It was not until 2006 that the Purple line was officially opened as its own line. Originally, the Purple line was considered an extension of the Red line. Today the Purple line is expected to be extended to the Westside.
This short video on the history of the construction of the Red Line allows viewers to get an understanding of the type of engineering and work that went into building the underground rail in Los Angeles. Also, we are able to see that the majority of people who benefited from the construction of the Red Line were the downtown white collar workers.
The extension will take place between Wilshire/Western station and Westside VA hospital. Through this extension 7 new stations will open, and the project will expand over 9 miles. Destinations that will be accessible via Purple line extension are Miracle Mile, Beverly Hills, Century City, and Westwood. The extension project will receive partial funding from Measure R, which was approved by voters in November 2008. The planned stops are: Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax, Wilshire/La Cienega, Wilshire/Rodeo, Westwood/UCLA, Westwood/Veterans administration. Commuting from Downtown LA to Westwood would take 25 minutes via the Purple line extension. In May of 2014 the Purple line extension was awarded $2.1 billion in federal funding.
However, as exciting as it is that the Purple line will be expanding the Purple line extension is expected to reach the Westside Veterans administration by 2035. Delays in the extension of the Purple line are attributed to "isolationist NIMBYs and their political allies." Beverly Hills High School and city sued Metro and the Federal Transit Administration over the expansion of the Purple line. Beverly Hills High School claims that the project would interfere with the schools plans to build underground. School district officials and city officials claim the building of the tunnel could damage and/or prevent them from building an underground garage.They used the money from Measure E bond improvement bond to finance the $3.1-$4.1 million lawsuit.
In April of 2014 a Superior Court judge ruled in favor of Metro. The construction of the tunnel under Beverly Hills High School to reach Century City Station at the intersection of Avenue of the Stars and Constellation Avenue was the main reason why Beverly Hills opposed the rail extension. Metro had selected such intersections as the place for a train station because it would allow closer access to the heart of Century City, generate higher ridership, and avoid an active earthquake fault. Metro also determined the noise and vibration levels would not violate federal limits. The lawsuit against the Federal Transit Administration is still in court.
Although, Beverly Hills High School and city officials claim the Purple line extension would interfere with their plans to build underground in reality it sounds like the city does not want the subway to travel through their city. The train would facilitate the access from the East side of the city of Los Angeles to West Side. If the Gold and Blue line run directly through communities of color, why can the Purple line run underneath Beverly Hills High School?
Quick overview of the Purple and Red line. This video shows what the Purple line looks like as well as some of the major stops.
By: Thania Lucero
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