Green Line placement alternatives proposed
The LA Metro Green Line Extension could bypass Redondo Beach’s proposed transit center at the South Bay Galleria, according to a presentation Friday morning in Inglewood before Metro’s South Bay Service Council.
Metro’s plan had called for the Green Line being extended from the Redondo Station to the proposed Galleria transit center. (The Redondo Station is on Marine Avenue in Hawthorne). The extension would follow a Metro-owned BNSF Railroad right-of-way that parallels the 405 Freeway.
The extension would then continue to the Torrance Transit Center. It is planned for completion by 2028.
But two new options presented at Friday’s meeting would instead continue the rail alongside the 405, before turning south on Hawthorne Boulevard.
One of the plans shows the extension cutting back across Redondo Beach Boulevard, onto Artesia Boulevard and back onto the railroad right-of-way through Redondo. The second would continue the extension down Hawthorne Boulevard until connecting with the right-of-way.
The new options are in response to concerns from Lawndale about traffic and noise.
The Redondo transit center is planned to complement the Galleria renovations, which will include several hundred new apartments.
“We need Lawndale to be a partner, clearly…it’s taken an enormous amount of time to get to this place, with regards to federal and state funding. It doesn’t make logistical sense to have a [rail] station on Hawthorne and a bus station on Kingsdale Avenue,” Redondo Beach Councilman Christian Horvath said in an interview. “I’m not against or for [the Hawthorne Blvd. alternative]. I just want to make sure we’re making the smartest decision for people to do the easy thing and use transit.”
The potential need to go above or below the existing street grade, to avoid major intersections, could significantly complicate the project.
“Right now, there’s $861 million in funding geared toward extending the Green Line — but that’s extending it at grade,” Horvath said. “As soon as we start talking about going above or below grade at any intersections, the costs start to go up.”
According to Don Szerlip, a representative to Metro’s South Bay Service Council, the Green Line extension is key to easing traffic, both on major streets and on neighboring freeways.
“If all a person has to do [to get to Los Angeles International Airport] is be dropped off at the Redondo Beach station, they’ll perceive rail differently,” Szerlip said. “That’s the goal to moving forward, getting people off of the highway and taking public transit.”
Metro’s design alternatives, Szerlip stressed, are strictly preliminary.
“They’re in an investigative phase — they’re now looking for input, and this is the time to be in front of any stakeholders,” Szerlip said.
Metro representatives are scheduled to speak at Christian Horvath’s December District 3 community meeting, as well as the North Redondo Beach Business Association’s January meeting.