Draft EIR released for K Line's northern extension

Metro has published a draft environmental study for the K Line's planned northern extension to Hollywood, revealing new design and cost details for the mega-project.

Three potential alignments are under consideration for the project, all of which would commence at the K Line's existing northern terminus at Expo/Crenshaw Station through the cities of Los Angeles and West Hollywood toward a terminus at Hollywood/Highland Station. Metro is also evaluating the possibility of constructing a station to serve the Hollywood Bowl. They include:

• San Vicente - Fairfax, which would run approximately 9.7 miles in length on Crenshaw, San Vicente, Fairfax, Beverly, Santa Monica and Highland, featuring nine new stations and an end-to-end travel time for this option of approximately 19 minutes;
• Fairfax, which would run approximately 7.9 miles along Crenshaw, San Vicente, Fairfax, Santa Monica, and Highland, adding seven new stations with a 15-minute end-to-end trip;
• La Brea, which would extend 6.2 miles up Crenshaw, San Vicente, and La Brea with six stations and a 12-minute end-to-end trip;

All options would be located fully underground and require an expansion of the Division 16 vehicle maintenance and storage facility in Westchester. Likewise, each is designed to potentially accommodate one additional station which would serve the Hollywood Bowl.

For a closer look at the alternatives and station locations, check out this story map.

Each of the three alternatives would reach busy activity centers in Central Los Angeles - including Hollywood and Mid-Wilshire - while also intersecting with four different rail lines and some of the region’s busiest bus routes. Those connections would yield ridership projections ranging from 47,200 daily trips on the shorter La Brea alternative to as many as 59,700 trips on the San Vicente-Fairfax alignment.

Combined with the southern segment of the K Line between the E Line and a future terminus in Torrance, estimated ridership ranges from 85,200 with the La Brea alignment to as much as 98,000 on the San Vicente-Fairfax option. Stations offering transfers to the B and D Lines are projected to see the heaviest utilization of all the proposed stops. Ridership projections are less robust for the Hollywood Bowl design alternative, which would account for an estimated 300 daily trips.

Costs vary significantly depending on the alignment chosen. Metro has an estimated $2.23 billion to allocated toward the project based on the Measure M funding plan, with a projected groundbreaking date in 2041 and a projected opening date between 2047 and 2049. However, that scheduled assumed a largely at-grade alignment which could have been built more rapidly. As the revised project would be built below grade, costs now range from $11 billion for the La Brea alternative to as much as $14.8 billion for the San Vicente-Fairfax alignment.

The scale of the project, as well as its price tag, also means that construction would be split into phases, each of which would take between 8 to 12 years to complete. The La Brea and Fairfax alternatives would each be divided into two sections, with Wilshire Boulevard serving as the dividing line. The lengthier San Vicente-Fairfax option would be further divided, with the alignment to the northeast of San Vicente and Santa Monica Boulevards split into a third phase.

While much remains up in the air - including the chosen alignment - steps are being taken to potentially accelerate the project. The City of West Hollywood has long sought to bring Metro Rail to Santa Monica Boulevard, and has pursued an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District with the City and County of Los Angeles which could provide billions in funding for the K Line extension. Past reports have indicated that up to $22 billion could be raised through an EIFD, should all potential members join the effort.

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