Compton : Council Weighs Rail Pact

A proposal that could end Compton’s running battle with proponents of the Los Angeles-to-Long Beach light rail line will be considered by the City Council on Friday at a noon workshop followed by a 1 p.m. special meeting.

The city and the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission are close to an agreement that calls for diverting freight train traffic from tracks that pass in front of City Hall while constructing an overpass for vehicles traveling along Rosecrans Avenue at Alameda Street. The city would have to pay about $9.4 million for road improvements, but that money would come from a combination of federal and county grants.

While city officials say the proposal does not satisfy all their concerns, it does ease their fear that the light rail trolleys will combine with freight trains to snarl downtown traffic and block emergency vehicles from crossing to the city’s east side.

Even if the council approves the agreement, it must still be considered by the transportation commission, and the Southern Pacific Railroad must agree to divert the freight traffic.