Metro Board Approves Orange Line Improvements

The board of the Los Angeles Country Metropolitan Transportation Authority decided Thursday to move ahead with improvements to the Orange Line busway that include gates at intersections along the route. The Metro board also gave its OK to study building a bridge from Van Nuys Boulevard to Sepulveda Boulevard on the busway. “These projects will improve the rider experience for everyone who uses the Orange Line to get where they’re going,” said Los Angeles Mayor and Metro Board Chairman Eric Garcetti in a prepared statement. The $286 million project would be funded with money raised by the Measure M sales tax increase approved by voters in November. The proposal to be studied calls for a bridge to elevate the busway between Van Nuys and Sepulveda boulevards, thus avoiding street traffic. Also, the proposal seeks to add gates at 34 crossings between the North Hollywood and Chatsworth train stations. There would also be a closure of Tyrone Avenue across the busway in Van Nuys. A study by Metro determined these measures would reduce trips between the North Hollywood and the Canoga Avenue stations by 12 minutes and between North Hollywood and Chatsworth by 16 minutes. Groundbreaking on the projects would occur in 2019 with an opening date approximately six years later.