Council Seeks New Delay in Subway Tunnels

Concerned about the sinking of a stretch of Hollywood Boulevard, the City Council asked transit officials Friday to delay further subway tunneling until the city conducts independent engineering tests of the underground construction.

The request could add a two-week delay to the $1.5-billion transit project, which is to connect Downtown with the San Fernando Valley. If the Metropolitan Transportation Authority does not comply, the council authorized City Atty. James Hahn to seek a court order that would halt work on the subway.

Edward McSpedon, the MTA’s chief executive officer for construction, told the council that the additional tests were not necessary. After the council vote, MTA officials declined to comment until they reviewed the council’s action and consulted with their legal counsel.

Last month, officials found that several blocks of the boulevard had sunk, in some places up to nine inches. The discovery forced the closure of several blocks of the famed thoroughfare, the evacuation of dozens of residents and the rescue of sidewalk stars along Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

“The public and my office have lost confidence that we can be assured that this won’t happen again,” Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg said.

On Thursday, a panel of experts convened by the MTA concluded that the twin subway tunnels beneath Hollywood Boulevard are in no danger of collapse and that tunneling--which was suspended Aug. 20 at the behest of Hollywood residents and merchants--could resume by mid-September.

The panel of tunnel and soil experts said the sinkage was caused by loosely packed soil that had been drenched by leaking water lines. The panel also blamed soils compacted by construction work and the failure of wooden wedges in the tunnels to hold up under pressure.

The review board said that tunneling could proceed with only minor sinking if engineers take a few remedial measures.

But Goldberg wants city engineers, city building and safety experts and an independent contractor hired by the city to review the MTA study and conduct its own investigation. City officials discussed the measures in closed session because of fears that the MTA might sue the city.

The Federal Transit Authority is conducting an investigation of its own and Goldberg said the city study may not be necessary if city officials are assured that federal authorities will conduct a comprehensive look at the sinkage.