4 rail options proposed as way to ease 405 Fwy congestion

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A proposed rail line is in the planning stages in the San Fernando Valley and the public got a chance to weigh in.

Traffic on the 405 Freeway has always been an issue for Angelenos.

"The 405 is just always known as that long trek...hopefully, you've got good music to play," Sherman Oaks resident Demetrius Malone said.

So with a little more than $10 billion in taxpayer funding from Measures R and M, leaders from Los Angeles County Metro are researching ways to cut down on congestion.

Four possible options were presented at a community meeting in Westwood Thursday night. Those options were: a heavy rail, light rail, monorail or a rubber-tire transit option. Because metro is still in the planning stages, once a project is chosen, construction won't start until 2024.

"We have the Olympics coming up in 2028, and we absolutely have to have this built by 2028 to get the traffic from LAX for all the athletes to the UCLA Olympic Village," Jason Ackerman said.

Ackerman is part of his neighborhood council and said a decision needs to be made sooner, even if that means more backups during construction.

"The 405 if the most congested freeway in the country and we really need a transit alternative," he said.

If you want your voice heard, you can head to another meeting on Saturday at 10 a.m. in Van Nuys at the Marvin Broad Center.