Candice Hannani, Staff Writer
After reviewing the proposed Westside Subway Extension, independent experts hired by the Beverly Hills City Council claim that tunneling under Beverly will be hazardous to students and faculty. 
The experts, all of whom are a part of the Exponent-Failure Analysis Associates, report in their review that the MTA study published by Parson Brinkerhoff does not fully consider the hazards of the subway extension.
Moreover, they claim that the study does not contemplate methane dangers at the Constellation site comparing to the Santa Monica Boulevard site; that it gives insufficient information to recommend either location; that it does not reflect the subway’s potential effect on residential homes and buildings; that it did not look into post-construction safety problems; and that insufficient provisions were created for the oil wells at Beverly.  The evaluation also warns  about possible dangers to water mains near the high school, which were not properly discussed in the studies published by the MTA.
The experts go on to conclude that MTA’s assertions about safety based on other constructions in Los Angeles cannot be supported because of insufficient data.
The evaluation was released on Friday, Feb. 3 and cost the city $75,000. It supports the beliefs of the Board of Education in trying to prevent MTA from tunneling under Beverly, and will be a setback for the proposed Westside Subway Extension.
To view the full report, please visit:  http://www.beverlyhills.org/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=1015