MTA Vows to Reopen Stretch of Hollywood Boulevard Saturday

This is one promise the MTA plans to keep.

Barring an unforeseen glitch, the barricades will come down Saturday morning, opening a newly rebuilt four-block stretch of Hollywood Boulevard beginning at its famed intersection with Vine Street.

Despite the objections of some residents and businesses, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board last month ordered crews to work around the clock to rebuild the street, which subway construction had turned into a rough patchwork of temporary cement panels.

Officials promised that if the boulevard was closed completely from Vine to Gower streets, the work would be done in 24 days. It would have taken five months if the contractor had worked only late at night and in the early morning.

As he surveyed the newly laid asphalt and concrete in front of the Pantages Theatre, MTA Deputy Executive Director Stephen J. Polechronis expressed delight at the new Hollywood Boulevard taking shape before his eyes. “This is a great opportunity to show what we can do,” he said.

After 1,000 tons of sparkling material containing asphalt and recycled glass are laid on top of the asphalt foundation and lines between the lanes are repainted, the street will be ready for traffic. New curbs, gutters and sidewalks are nearly done, although more than 200 stars removed 3 1/2 years ago from the Hollywood Walk of Fame still must be restored to their terrazzo settings.

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While MTA officials were proudly marking their progress on this small piece of the $6.1-billion Metro Rail subway project, business owners were still smarting from losses during the three weeks of the shutdown.

At the Dos Burritos Mexican food stand, owner Salvador Mendez said closing the street was “very bad” for his small business. Two of his employees were laid off. Mendez hopes that reopening the boulevard will bring back customers.

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Around the corner on Vine, outside what the MTA calls the “impact area,” restaurateur Don Linden says merchants probably will sue the agency for compensation. Linden said he laid off 25% of his staff because of a sharp drop in business caused by the boulevard’s closure.

Linden, who is president of the Hollywood-Vine Business and Merchants Negotiating Committee, accused the MTA of “making a lot of promises with very little follow-through.”

But Polechronis said all 90 residents in the immediate area have received or will receive checks of $1,000 to $2,000 to compensate them for the noise and other effects of the 24-hour construction.

So far, only nine of 20 street-level businesses have agreed to accept compensation for 70% of their rent during the 24-day closure.

“That’s not enough,” said the owner of one business, who rejected the offer. “Most of the merchants didn’t sign.”