Los Angeles – The long-awaited Purple Line extension may open on La Cienega/Wilshire instead of the initially planned Fairfax/Wilshire stop due to construction concerns.
According to a memo from the Transit coalition, phase one of the planned extension to the Purple line may have an interim terminus station of La Cienega as opposed to Fairfax, reports Curbed LA. Concerns stemming from the need for an extra phase of construction to accommodate the originally planned terminus are cited as the reason. The problem is with hazardous waste and fossils in the ground below the site.
From the memo:
“If the Wilshire/Fairfax Station serves as the terminus for the first phase, the fully enclosed tunnel mining system would be required for both the first and second phases of construction, thereby unnecessarily increasing the complexity and cost of the second segment,” the memo reads. “By terminating at the Wilshire/La Cienega Station, the fully enclosed tunnel mining system would not be necessary for the second phase of construction–only the first phase–reducing construction costs for the second phase.”
“By shifting the interim terminus station from Wilshire/Fairfax to Wilshire/La Cienega, a crossover is no longer required at the Wilshire/Fairfax Station, thereby reducing the amount of cut-and-cover excavation in the vicinity of tar sands, elevated gas levels, and known paleontological deposits. By requiring cut and cover for a smaller area, fewer fossils will be encountered and less hazardous waste will require disposal. Additionally, there are safety benefits of reducing the amount of area and time spent excavating in the elevated gassy grounds.”
Extending the initial construction to the La Cienega station, is said to add about a year to the originally planned 2019 timetable for opening the first part of the subway extension. The memo also states, that although it would increase the cost of the first phase of the project, the overall cost would stay the same.
Photo Credit: Angie Hu, under Flickr Creative Commons license.
