March 5 , 2008 Contact: Dave Sotero/Marc Littman Metro Media Relations 213.922.3007/922.4609 www.metro.net/pressroom FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

L.A. Metro Releases Draft EIR for Canoga Transportation Corridor Project, Sets Public Hearing Dates

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has released its Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the proposed northern extension of the Metro Orange Line in the San Fernando Valley and will be holding two hearings in March to receive public comment.

Open Houses and public hearings will be held on the following dates:

• Wednesday, March 19, 2008: 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., NEW Academy Canoga Park, Multi-Purpose Room, 21425 Cohasset Street, Canoga Park, CA
• Wednesday, March 26, 2008: 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., Chatsworth High School, Chancellor Hall, 10027 Lurline Avenue, Chatsworth, CA

The Canoga Transportation Corridor Project is a proposed four-mile extension of Metro Orange Line service from the Canoga Park & Ride Lot to the Chatsworth Metrolink Station. Metro seeks to improve north-south mobility in the Western part of the Valley by connecting activity centers along the corridor, as well as linking Metro service with Metrolink.

Based on community input from public scoping meetings last July, Metro has narrowed down its transit alternatives that will be studied as part of a state-mandated environmental review process. Besides a “no build” alternative and one that relies only on transit system improvements and operational enhancements, Metro has evaluated a Canoga Avenue busway option that would extend the existing Metro Orange Line on an exclusive right-of-way, and a Canoga Avenue Busway that would operate on a bus-only lane along a widened Canoga Avenue.

All community comments gathered at the upcoming public hearings will be incorporated into the agency’s Final EIR. Metro will then submit the final version for Board certification later this year.

The Draft EIR studies the full range of environmental issues including traffic, parking, land use, air quality, noise and current Metro operations, and discloses community mitigation measures and potential impacts.

Copies of the Draft EIR are available at the downtown Los Angeles Central Library and the following local branch libraries: Canoga Park, Chatsworth, Porter Ranch, Woodland Hills and West Valley Regional Branch. To obtain a copy of this report online, visit Metro’s web site at metro.net/canoga.

The deadline for public comment is Wednesday, April 16, 2008. Comments can be made at the public hearing or submitted to: Walt Davis, Project Manager, Metro, One Gateway Plaza, MS 99-22-9, Los Angeles, CA 90012 or daviswa@metro.net  
For additional project information by phone, call the project hotline at 818-276-1289.

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