Metro board approves plan to build high-speed rail line between San Fernando Valley and Westside

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Los Angeles Metro board of directors on Thursday voted unanimously to approve an underground heavy-rail option for the Sepulveda Transit Corridor project that aims to connect the San Fernando Valley to the Westside.

The board selected a route that would go from Van Nuys to Sherman Oaks, under Bel-Air and Beverly Crest, UCLA and end at Metro's E Line/Expo Sepulveda Station. Travel time is expected to be about 20 minutes from one end of the new rail line to the other.

The alignment would provide nearly 13 miles of rail with seven stations at an estimated cost between $20 billion and $25 billion. Metro officials say the price tag will change as they finalize the design and other factors.

Metro identified some funding from Measure M, a 2016-voter approved half-cent sales tax to support transit projects, to support the Sepulveda Transit Corridor project.

"The Sepulveda Transit Corridor project would add a critical regional connection to the transportation network linking the San Fernando Valley and the Westside, providing a fast, safe and reliable alternative to the congested 405 Freeway," Cecily Way, senior executive officer of countywide planning for Metro said.

The board's approval of a "'locally preferred alternative" allows for further design refinement and authorizes advancement of a final environmental impact report, and additional environmental documentation, Way added.

According to one traffic study, 400,000 commuters drive between the Valley and the Westside on the 405 Freeway every day. The hope is that whatever is built will ease traffic congestion by 100,000 commuters per day.

Commuter who spoke to ABC7 on Thursday expressed support for the project, which officials say could generate about $1.76 billion annually for the local economy.

"I think it's a good idea because I live in the (San Fernando Valley)," a woman who identified herself as Jane M. said as she was filling her car with gas at a gas station. "So that would be a great way to avoid all this traffic."

San Fernando Valley resident Carrie Petty said she believes the new rail line "would cut down on a lot of time.

"I mean, it took me two hours to get down here today for a 15-minute appointment and now I'm going to drive back home. So, 20 minutes would be amazing," she said.

There were five options to choose from. Metro officials selected one that they say leverages the strengths of other proposals. The route is expected to have high ridership, high frequencies, shorter station construction sites, and reducing other cost elements.

"This is an important and exciting moment for Los Angeles," Los Angeles City Councilwoman and Metro director Katy Yaroslavsky said. "There's still a lot to do until we get shovels in the ground, let alone open this thing."

Yaroslavsky described the Sepulveda Transit Corridor project as being as transformative as the L.A. Aqueduct.

"We have tried widening freeways and building over mountains, and we've spent billions doing it. The approach has failed," Yaroslavsky said. "This project represents a fundamentally different strategy."

City News Service contributed to this report.