A recent presentation to Metro's Westside/Central Service Council provides on update on slow-moving plans to bring bus rapid transit to Vermont Avenue.

The project, approved as part of Measure M in 2016, calls for the construction of 12.5 miles of bus rapid transit between Hollywood Boulevard in Los Feliz and 120th Street in unincorporated Athens. At the time, it was expected that construction would commence as early as 2024 and be completed by 2028.

Following years of community outreach, Metro is now preparing to move forward with initial improvements to the corridor as early as 2025.

Northern bus lane segmentMetro

According to the presentation, these first phase improvements would include the addition of dedicated bus lanes and transit signal priority in two segments. The northern 2.75-mile segment, spanning between Hollywood and Wilshire Boulevards, would be peak-hour lanes taking the place of curbside parking for stretches of the morning and evening. Parking would remain available during the midday, overnight, and on weekends.

Full-time bus lanes are planned along the four-mile stretch of Vermont between Gage Avenue and the Vermont/Athens C Line Station in the median of the 105 Freeway. Unlike the northern lanes, these lanes would not permit cyclists or drivers making right turns to use the bus lane.

Southern bus lane segmentMetro

The short-term improvements notably do not include the central six-mile stretch of Vermont between Koreatown and Gage Avenue, including the busy segment which abuts USC, Exposition Park, and several 2028 Olympic venues. However, a second phase of the projects - currently expected in 2028 - calls for end-to-end dedicated bus lanes on Vermont, as well as enhanced stations similar to those on the G Line. Metro is expected to build the project as side-running bus rapid transit, converting a travel lane into a transit lane while preserving curbside parking.

Still out on the far horizon, Metro also has plans for a rail line along the same corridor. Vermont Avenue buses commanded more than 40,000 weekday trips prior to the pandemic, and was projected to see more than 70,000 passengers with an upgrade to bus rapid transit. A rail line, which would cost billions, could carry as many as 144,000 daily passengers. However, a conversion of the bus rapid transit line to rail is not scheduled to occur until 2067 at the earliest.

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