Trolley Line on Chandler Edges Closer to Adoption

County transportation planners on Friday edged closer to endorsing Chandler Boulevard as the North Hollywood route for the proposed 14.3-mile San Fernando Valley trolley line.

But in a long-awaited report, the staff of the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission held back from embracing the controversial but heavily favored Chandler route over Burbank Boulevard for the light-rail line.

Instead, staff members said the decision should be delayed until a study is completed on whether to substitute the trolley line for a 2.3-mile segment of the proposed Metro Rail subway.

The substitution would be from Universal City to the intersection of Lankershim and Chandler boulevards. That location originally had been planned as the transfer point for trolley riders headed downtown on the subway.

Would Save $250 Million

If the trolley line is extended southeast to Universal City--which would then become the transfer point--it would cut an estimated $250 million off Metro Rail’s $3.3-billion cost, planners say.

But several Valley legislators have vowed to block any effort to reduce the portion of Metro Rail planned for the Valley.

The report is expected by late September.

In the interim, the commission staff is not willing to rule out the Burbank Boulevard route in North Hollywood, commission spokeswoman Erica Goebel said.

However, a consultant’s report released by the staff Friday said that Chandler has “far fewer negative impacts than any other alternative studied.”

An engineering study found that only a handful of buildings might have to be removed along Chandler, which is the site of a little-used Southern Pacific rail line, but that using Burbank would displace 65 businesses, six apartment buildings, a fire station and a church.

At a recent public hearing, Richard Stanger, the commission’s director of rail development, said: “I expect to recommend that the Chandler alignment be selected over the Burbank alignment.”

Residents along Chandler have vigorously protested the possible use of their street by trains, saying the noise would be unbearable.

The bulk of the route of the proposed line is not in question.

Proposed Route Described

After using either Burbank or Chandler west to Fulton Avenue, the route would follow the Southern Pacific line west to the intersection of Victory Boulevard and Owensmouth Avenue.

Then it would either follow Owensmouth south to terminate at Oxnard Street or would travel west on Victory and end at Topanga Canyon Boulevard.

The report released Friday did not recommend a route west of Owensmouth, although staff members have said in recent weeks that they favor building an elevated line down Owensmouth to Oxnard.

The commission’s rapid transit committee is to consider the report next Friday.

The 11-member commission, which is building rail lines with the proceeds of the additional half-cent sales tax Los Angeles County voters approved in 1980 to finance transit improvements, is not expected to adopt a Valley route before the end of the year.

There is money for only one rail line, and the Valley is competing with two other routes for funds. The rivals are a proposed South Bay line and a route from downtown Los Angeles through Lincoln Heights to Pasadena.