Plan Under Study to Widen Stretch of Freeway

Los Angeles County officials have been engaged in behind-the-scenes contacts with developers about widening a mile-long stretch of the Marina Expressway between Culver City and Marina del Rey, constructing a park-and-ride lot or other transit facility and selling any excess land to builders.

Although the property is owned by the state, county officials said they have been hired by Caltrans to conduct a study on future use of more than 30 acres of right of way extending from Ballona Creek, just east of Culver Boulevard, to Lincoln Boulevard.

The study will examine possible expansion of the freeway, including the addition of a lane to the westbound roadway, moving the eastbound lanes to the north, and constructing a park-and-ride lot. Other ideas include a light-rail station or other transportation facility.

Businesses that operate on Caltrans land in the median strip of the Marina Expressway--including an athletic club, tennis courts and a nursery--could be moved or closed and any surplus land could be sold for development.

The concept, which county officials insist is very preliminary, received a chilly reception Tuesday night from more than 60 members of the Villa Marina neighborhood that lies just to the east of Marina del Rey.

Representatives of the county’s Community Development Commission insisted there is no specific plan for the right of way.

But neighborhood leaders were skeptical about why officials were taking the lead in a study on use of state land in the city of Los Angeles. And they were curious about how adding traffic lanes and developing surplus land would improve the area’s serious traffic problems.