Metro Is Looking for Transit Options for Van Nuys Boulevard: Let’s Help Them Out

Yesterday, the Daily News reported on a series of public meetings (including ones tonight and tomorrow) designed to solicit feedback on what rapid transit option makes the most sense for the densest and most congested portion of Van Nuys Boulevard.  $68.5 million has been set aside for this project from Measure R and Metro hopes it can be up and running by 2018.

But for now, we don’t even know what “it” is.  The Metro team has four very basic concepts for a 10.25-mile long project on Van Nuys Boulevard between the 210 Freeway and Ventura Boulevard: a “no-build” option of “street improvements,” a “Portland-style” Streetcar, an “Orange-Line” style rapid bus or “Expo Line” style light rail.  The project area is almost a mile wide, so they have room for completely separated transit ways, and maybe even enough for bike paths as well.

Any of the proposed alternatives, except the “no-build,” is going to require additional funding from somewhere.  The 14 mile original Orange Line cost $325 million and Phase 1 of the Expo Line is estimated to cost $930 million.

The Daily News also touches on a proposal by the Transit Coalition to run rail between the Valley and the Westside.  Their 25-mile proposal would start at the Metrolink Station and Mission College area in Sylmar and run all the way to the Expo Line in West Los Angeles.  Naturally, such a line would cost quite a bit more than $68.5 million, but as Reed tells the Daily News, “It’s all about vision.”

In an effort to help Streetsblog readers have their say on this project, I’ve set up the above poll.  We’ll send the results to Metro’s team as well as any comments that you write below.  It’s early in the process and you never know what suggestions might stick.