Building Subway Beneath Wilshire Deemed Safe

A westward extension of Los Angeles’ Red Line subway can be safely built below Wilshire Boulevard despite the presence of dangerous underground gases, a panel of tunneling and transportation experts concluded Thursday.

“By following proper procedures and using appropriate technologies, the risk would be no greater than any other subway systems in the U.S.,” the group concluded in a report to local transit officials.

The preliminary decision by the five-member panel, which was convened by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, could bolster Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s vision of building a subway to the beach.

Currently, the subway runs between Union Station and North Hollywood. Federal law bans using federal money to extend the Red Line. The law was introduced by U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Los Angeles) after a 1985 methane explosion at a Fairfax-area clothing store. Concerns have also been raised about the presence of lethal hydrogen sulfide gas.

Earlier this month, Waxman said he would ask Congress to rescind the law if the panel concluded that tunneling was safe. On Thursday, Waxman said the conclusion was “encouraging,” but said he would not seek to repeal the law until he had a chance to talk to panel members in the next few days.

“I certainly am not going to make any decision before I have a thorough understanding of their report,” Waxman said from Washington, D.C. “I just want to understand what their findings were, and the basis for it.”

The panel of experts from around the country spent the week studying the geology of the Wilshire corridor and reviewing tunneling methods. The experts presented their preliminary opinion to MTA officials at a closed-door meeting Thursday morning, but their arguments were outlined in a report released to The Times.

According to the report, much has changed since the 1985 explosion.

The technology for tunneling and detecting gas has improved, as has the “attitude regarding safety.”

Construction engineers have much more experience with the challenges posed by tunneling. And a number of basements for parking garages have been built along Wilshire without major incident.

“They were pretty confident that any difficulties that would be encountered could be taken care of,” said MTA Chief Executive Roger Snoble, who attended the meeting.

Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge -- who led the push to create the panel when he was on the MTA board -- was excited by the findings.

“You know, let’s move on it,” he said. “The most dense part of the United States outside of Manhattan is the Wilshire corridor, and to move people safely, quickly and with efficiency on that corridor from the Pacific Ocean to downtown is key.”

The panel will prepare its findings in a written report that will be presented to the MTA’s construction committee on Nov. 17, authority spokesman Rick Jager said.