Westside : MTA Proposal Stirs Concern in Westwood

The fate of Little Santa Monica Boulevard, which has been controversial for years, continued to dominate discussion Wednesday at a meeting of the Friends of Westwood.

The environmental group meets annually to discuss issues affecting their community and, as in the past, its meeting was consumed by the MTA’s proposal to create a multilane thoroughfare along Santa Monica Boulevard.

Neighbors who spoke at the meeting also worried that the street project would create more traffic in Westwood neighborhoods. If Santa Monica Boulevard becomes a huge thoroughfare, the MTA has proposed making cut-across areas in the median strip so that cars can take left turns and exit. The cars would end up on residential streets, critics say.