Metro North Hollywood to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit Update: Construction, Lawsuit, and More
In May, Metro broke ground on its $409 million NoHo-Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit project, expected to open before the 2028 Olympics. The 19-mile 22-station BRT Line will span parts of four cities: Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena and Los Angeles. The project includes installing about 20 new bus-only lane lane-miles. The new BRT line will connect to the Metro B and A Lines in North Hollywood and Pasadena, respectively.
Construction Visibly Underway in Pasadena
BRT project construction is already visible in downtown Pasadena, the east end of the line.
Pasadena will have four BRT stations (basically somewhat fancy bus shelters) at: Pasadena City College, Colorado Blvd/Lake Street, Colorado/Los Robles Avenue, and Holly Street/Arroyo Parkway (just east of Memorial Park A Line Station).
NoHo Pasadena BRT construction gets underway this month in Glendale and Burbank. In L.A. City neighborhoods – North Hollywood and Eagle Rock – construction will start in October.
Burbank Lawsuit Update
In May, Metro sued the city of Burbank over this BRT project. After final BRT plans/designs had been approved, the state approved SB 79, a new housing law to encourage new housing near high quality transit. This new law reenergized project critics, who pressed the city to reopen the design process to eliminate planned bus-only lanes in Burbank. The city withheld construction permits; Metro requested that the court direct the city to issue construction permits.
In July, the judge ruled against Metro’s request for a preliminary injunction.
The case is still pending, but earlier this month some of the tension appears to have cooled with Metro and Burbank reaching an interim agreement that allows construction to proceed on some undisputed parts of the project. Work on bus stations, roadways, sidewalks, lighting, signals, and landscaping will proceed. Bus only lanes (striping, signage, etc.) will not.
Each side issued similar statements with slightly differing concluding statements. Burbank’s statement reiterates that the city supports mixed-flow operations, with no bus lanes on Olive Avenue. Metro’s statement notes that the agency endeavors “to complete the Project with dedicated lanes as set forth in the Final Environmental Impact Report, in order to fulfill the Project’s full potential speed and reliability.”
Media Still Amplifying Anti-Transit Voices
Perhaps emboldened by Burbank controversy, other project critics are criticizing again. The Eastsider covered a group of Eagle Rock residents, led by a longtime BRT critic, pushing Metro for construction mitigation.
The L.A. Times interviewed the same BRT critic quoted by Eastsider (and in 2021 by Spectrum News 1), other critics, and no transit riders, then trotted out tired criticisms about how the project will be “a death blow for us [Eagle Rock businesses],” will “degrade Eagle Rock’s small-town charm,” and will “get rid of all parking and choke traffic down to one lane.” The Times quoted a realtor critic, who previously lived in and then moved out of Eagle Rock, stating that “people that have lived in this community for decades… are now saying just because of this project, they’re moving.”
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