Overview
Metro, the City of Los Angeles, and Los Angeles County are considering the feasibility of implementing a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project on Wilshire Boulevard. This joint effort will be evaluated through the preparation of an Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Assessment (EIR/EA).
The EIR/EA, which will be prepared in compliance with State and Federal environmental requirements, will examine the potential for dedicated curbside bus lanes during the morning and evening rush hours along Wilshire Boulevard, from just west of the I-110 Freeway to the Santa Monica city line, excluding the City of Beverly Hills. The purpose of the EIR/EA is to evaluate the social, economic, and environmental issues associated with the proposed improvements included in the Wilshire Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project within the Wilshire Boulevard Corridor. The EIR/EA will also evaluate project alternatives.
Study Background
These same three agencies began evaluating the proposed Wilshire BRT Project in November 2008 as part of preparing an Initial Study/Environmental Assessment (IS/EA). An EIR/EA is now being prepared as a consequence of input received at several community meetings held along the corridor at that time, additional public input, and technical analyses that have been conducted.
Project Area
The project is along a corridor of Wilshire Boulevard between Valencia Street to the east (west of the I-110 Freeway) and Centinela Avenue to the west, excluding the portion of Wilshire Boulevard within the City of Beverly Hills. A majority of the project falls within the mid-western area of the City of Los Angeles and includes 9.6 miles of peak period curbside bus lanes. A small portion of the project, between Sepulveda Boulevard and Federal Avenue (approximately .6 miles), near the Veterans Administration facilities, is within Los Angles County jurisdiction.
Project Description
A number of general improvements are required as part of the proposed project. These general improvements include restriping of traffic lanes, as necessary; conversion of existing curb lanes to peak period bus lanes in each direction; upgrade of the existing transit signal priority system; street widening and/or street reconstruction in select areas; and installation of traffic/transit signage and pavement markings, as necessary. Most of the existing curb lanes in the City of Los Angeles would be “converted” to bus and right-turn only operation in the peak periods (7 am to 9 am and 4 pm to 7 pm) on weekdays. In these segments, the curb lanes would be repaired or reconstructed, where necessary, and restriped and signed as peak period bus lanes. In other areas, curbside bus lanes would be added as new lanes to Wilshire Boulevard by widening and restriping. Upgrades to the transit signal priority system would also be implemented, including the following: (1) addition of bus signal priority at intersections with near-side bus stops (a recently developed and successfully tested concept), (2) increase in the maximum available time for transit signal priority from 10 percent to 15 percent of the traffic signal cycle at minor intersections, and (3) reduction in the number of traffic signal recovery cycles from two to one at key intersections along the corridor. The Los Angeles County project components include the extension of the eastbound left turn pocket at Sepulveda Boulevard and street widening and restriping between Federal Avenue and Bonsall Avenue to add an eastbound peak period bus lane.
Scoping Meetings
Please join us at any of the four (4) scoping meetings to learn more about the Proposed Project and Project Alternatives. These meetings will provide the public the opportunity to comment on the project and any potential effects of the project that should be considered in the Draft EIR/EA. For the exact dates and locations of these meetings, please go to Meetings.