Some Fear Bumpy Ride During Street’s Makeover

Separately, “little” and “big” Santa Monica boulevards in West Los Angeles create an unsightly traffic morass.

The parallel roads are often gridlocked, and the intersections can be dangerous and confusing. An abandoned railroad right of way, lined with massive billboards, runs down the median, giving the corridor a cluttered, shabby look.

But a $68-million face lift is designed to combine the two roads into a tree-lined boulevard with a bike path and a landscaped median that designers promise will resemble the great boulevards of Europe.

Los Angeles is expected to award a construction contract for the 2.5-mile project between the San Diego Freeway and Beverly Hills next month, and construction is slated to begin in January. The project, when completed in 2005, is expected to beautify one of the city’s most congested corridors while improving traffic capacity by 20%.

But some business owners along the commercial corridor are worried that construction noise, dust and parking headaches may drive away customers. Nearby homeowners fear that motorists who normally take Santa Monica Boulevard to work will be tempted to cut through adjacent neighborhoods to avoid construction tie-ups.

“We are concerned because our area is laid out in a grid pattern, and it would be very attractive for people to cut through to avoid the congestion,” said Bob Cimiluca, president of the Westwood South of Santa Monica Boulevard Homeowners Assn.

Los Angeles city officials say they are planning efforts to ease such worries. “Our goal is to make sure the impacts will be minimal,” said Cora Jackson-Fossett, a spokeswoman for the city’s Department of Public Works.

Plans to remake Santa Monica Boulevard and its smaller twin have been debated for years.

In the 1970s, the California Department of Transportation suggested building a Beverly Hills freeway along the route. The idea was killed because of strong public protest. In 1992, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority purchased the abandoned railroad line.

An MTA plan in 1994 to replace the two streets with a 10-lane road with two exclusive bus lanes was also killed because neighbors said the project looked too much like a freeway.

Today, the thoroughfare carries 40,000 to 60,000 vehicles per day. Traffic experts predict 80,000 a day by 2020.

Motorists crossing the road must traverse “double” intersections--one each for “little” and “big” Santa Monica boulevards. Transportation experts say these intersections are dangerous and confusing, causing daily gridlock. The makeover would eliminate the double intersections, reducing traffic delays by as much as 48%, according to MTA studies.

The reconfigured Santa Monica Boulevard will include exclusive bus lanes for a short stretch and a bicycle lane running most of the way. Other planned amenities are wider sidewalks, new lighting, additional landscaping, trees, and ramps for the handicapped at intersection curbs. Funding comes from federal, state and local transportation budgets.

The project will be undertaken in phases so that most of the boulevard will remain open during construction.

Though nearby business and neighborhood groups say the boulevard needs an upgrade, several representatives have expressed mixed feelings about the project.

“Obviously, we are concerned about the dust and the noise and inconveniences,” said Mormon Elder Tad Callister, whose Los Angeles California Temple is on the boulevard. “But, truthfully, this will be a wonderful project to beautify Santa Monica Boulevard.”

Callister said the city has promised a traffic light at Manning Avenue to improve access to the 13-acre Mormon temple site.

Jim Lynch, president of the Century City Chamber of Commerce, said some small-business owners along the boulevard worry that on-street parking will be temporarily eliminated and that access could be blocked during construction, driving away customers.

“These things are not very easy,” Lynch said. “There will be some discomfort for a while.”

City Councilman Jack Weiss, who represents the West Los Angeles area, called the project “extraordinary” but said he sympathizes with worried business owners and residents. “We have to make sure that we have substantial mitigation, not only for the businesses, but for the residents,” he said.

One key component of the project--the removal of a dozen billboards--is still in dispute. A billboard company that has rented the right-of-way space on a monthly basis recently demanded $15.6 million in compensation from the city for removing the signs. The city has rejected that request.

Negotiations are continuing, but Weiss said he doesn’t expect the billboard dispute to delay the project.