MTA Votes to Fund Study of East-West Valley Busway

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board on Thursday approved $16.4 million for a trio of proposed projects in Los Angeles, including an east-west busway that could span Warner Center and North Hollywood.

The funding, which will be used for preliminary engineering and design, includes $5 million for the Valley busway, which may be built along Chandler and Burbank boulevards.

Two other transit proposals also received funding: $8.4 million for an Eastside corridor and $3 million for a Mid-City route.

The MTA board voted 10 to 1 to approve the funding. Supervisor Mike Antonovich was the only dissenting member.

MTA staff members said the funds will speed the process of building the long-awaited east-west bus line, which Valley leaders hope will ease freeway congestion.

“This is a good thing for the Valley, the east-west corridor is a must,” said county Supervisor and MTA board member Zev Yaroslavsky.

Environmental studies for all three projects are expected within the next month, and the Eastside report could be ready as early as next week, said Ed Scannell, an MTA spokesman.

But some citizens are concerned that money has been committed to projects before the environmental documents are completed.

“How can they start when there are a number of options available and they haven’t released an environmental report?” asked M. Fritz Friedman, a member of the Concerned Citizens Transit Coalition, which has opposed using Chandler and Burbank boulevards for a busway.

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However, Yaroslavsky said, the soon-to-be completed environmental documents were not an issue.

“Before the board makes a final [route] decision, it’s going to have to certify the documentation,” he said.

While much of the talk concerning the Valley’s east-west route has centered on Chandler and Burbank boulevards, the coalition has said it has safety concerns because of its proximity to synagogues, schools and homes. The group supports Oxnard Street as an alternative route.