I-105 ExpressLanes break ground, CicLAmini next month, and more

Passenger rail service along a troublesome stretch of right-of-way will be shut down on Monday, April 28, impacting patrons of Metrolink's Orange County Line and Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner.

The closure, announced by the Orange County Transportation Authority, is expected to last six weeks, and will allow for emergency construction to stabilize sections of track that are consistently at risk from landslides and coastal erosion. The scope of work will include repairing and reinforcing existing protections at three locations along the coastal right-of-way, as well as the construction of a 1,400-foot catchment wall near Mariposa Point. This will also allow for the restoration of pedestrian access to a trail that cuts through the affected area.

More information can be found at www.pacificsurfliner.com/alerts and www.octa.net/RailEmergency.

A permanent fix to the problem will of course require relocation the historic rail corridor inline - something that is expected to cost several billion dollars and take decades to complete.

Get your transponders ready, more ExpressLanes are on the way in Los Angeles County. 

Metro and Caltrans broke ground yesterday on the $1.5-billion I-105 ExpressLanes project, which will convert 16 miles of existing carpool lanes between the I-405 and I-605 freeways into tolled express lanes. Metro expects that tolling the existing carpool lanes will cut commute times by up to 50 percent when. 

Work is to be completed in three segments, with the stretch between Sepulveda Boulevard and Central Avenue opening by 2028 and the remaining segments from Central Avenue to Studebaker Road following in 2029.

The first CicLAmini of 2025 is set to occur next month with a 1.4-mile stretch of open streets along Pico Boulevard between Normandie Avenue and Union Avenue in Pico Union. Check in out on May 18 from 10 am to 3 pm.

Once again, here's the rules: only people-powered vehicles allowed. That means no electric scooters, skateboards, hoverboards, unicycles, motorcycles and other non-people-powered vehicles are permitted. However, Class 1 e-bike pedal-assist is allowed, Class 2 e-bikes are allowed when throttle is powered off, and Class 3 e-bikes are allowed when pedal-assist is powered down. 

Here's what we're reading this week:

‘Enough is enough’: Chainsawed trees spark anger over downtown L.A.’s decline "Along with safety, she said, green space has been one of the top concerns of the almost 100,000 people who live downtown, so the attack on some of the area’s few trees particularly angered people." ( LA Times)

AI cameras led to nearly 10,000 more citations for cars parked in LA bus lanes "In the second month of enforcement, automated cameras on two Metro bus routes in the city of Los Angeles helped issue more than 9,700 tickets to cars parked in a bus lane or at a bus stop, according to data from L.A. Department of Transportation." (LAist)

Agents like to talk up luxe condo living. Is LA ready for it? "The Agency sells out Four Seasons as agents stay bullish on vertical living" (TRD)

A desperate Hollywood looks to Sacramento for help in stopping runaway production "It’s a potential lifeline for the entertainment industry, which has been battered in recent years by production slowdowns wrought by the pandemic, the dual writers’ and actors’ strikes in 2023, a pullback in spending by the studios, the recent Southern California wildfires and productions fleeing the Golden State." (LA Times)

Caltrans Posts Draft Master Plan for PCH in Malibu "Activists agree this plan is a huge improvement over current conditions, but there are some areas where it could be even better." (Streetsblog LA)

L.A.’s office market takes a hit amid trade wars, fires and economic uncertainty "One neighborhood that is actually thriving in the overall soft leasing market is Century City, where vacancies are few and rents are high because demand is strong, especially among attorneys and entertainment firms including Creative Artists Agency." (LA Times)

Huntington Beach’s Challenge to Calif. Housing Development Law Rejected Again "The city’s federal lawsuit against the state, rejecting its ability to compel the municipality to adopt a state-approved housing plan, has been ongoing since 2023" (Commercial Observer)

Eyes on the Street: New Protected Bike Lane on San Vicente Blvd "San Vicente's new stretch of parking-protected bike lane extends a half mile, from Keniston Avenue to Redondo Boulevard" (Streetsblog LA)

California overtakes Japan to become world’s fourth-largest economy. But tariffs pose threat "California has long been a global powerhouse, fueled by a variety of sectors including technology, agriculture, tourism and entertainment. The new ranking comes as the state is facing challenges from a trade war with China and other nations that are key California trading partners." (LA Times)

Irvine’s massive Great Park could get a system of gondolas to ferry visitors around "Irvine’s Great Park board — composed of the mayor and City Council members — voted, 5-1, to authorize the city manager to begin negotiations with a startup to build a gondola-style transit system to ferry people across the 1,300-acre space." (LAist)

New taxes will soon dwarf the billions spent on homelessness in last decade. Who’s watching over it? "One consequence of the promise of oversight is a new slate of abbreviations for the public to digest: ULACOC, LTRHA, ECRHA and LACAHSA." (LA Times)

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