As seen in the Feb. 21, print edition.
Danny Licht, print editor-in-chief
Construction in preparation of the first phase of the Metro Purple Line extension broke ground last week on Wilshire and La Brea, where a station is scheduled to be built. This initial construction, which consists of rerouting utility lines, is expected to hit Beverly Hills around the proposed Wilshire at La Cienega station in the coming months.
Metro staged two community briefings on Thursday, Feb. 14, during which representatives from Metro and City Hall spoke on the anticipated impact on residents and business owners during the subway’s anticipated 21-year construction.
“Anyone who lives and works in this area will be affected,” Community Relations Officer Kasey Shuda said at the meeting. “That’s the price you pay for progress.”
During construction, some lanes of Wilshire Blvd. will be closed, though it won’t be fully closed, and most work will occur at night and on holidays. The Metro officials assured the community members that the construction work will remain within the mandated decibel level for nighttime noise. This level, however, is recorded and averaged over 15-minute periods; quieter moments would hypothetically allow for louder moments.
Many agree that while the construction will be an inconvenice, its long-term benefits will be worth the short-term difficulties.
“Given that it’s LA, that our entire city is based on transportation, [the subway] is going to benefit us, but in the meantime it’s going to be kind of annoying, with traffic as bad as it already is,” senior Adar Thau said.
Following the currently proposed schedule, which Metro is seeking to expedite, Beverly Hills High School, which lies above the planned route, will not be affected until 2025.