Expansion on the Los Angeles subway line is closer to becoming a reality, which could offer students easier access to the Santa Monica beaches but also may not run along a route that is most useful for Westside residents.
The plan would extend the subway, known as the Red Line, along Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue to the ocean. The 13-mile construction project would cost at least $4 billion, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation last week repealing a 1986 ban on federal funding for subway construction in the area. The prohibition was put in place because of safety concerns after construction caused a methane gas explosion that injured more than 20 people in 1985, according to Daily Bruin archives.
The U.S. Senate is set to vote on the bill this week. If it passes, city officials can begin seeking money for the project.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, along with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, supports the subway expansion. According to a press release from the mayor’s office, Wilshire Boulevard is the densest corridor and most heavily traveled bus route in Los Angeles.
But some students say they believe the expansion could be more effective elsewhere, as there are overlapping public transportation routes.
“A majority of people who take the Red Line also take the Metro bus line that runs down Wilshire,” said Denise Bolts, a third-year sociology student who commutes to UCLA.
Bolts said that if subway expansion is meant to alleviate traffic, the route should be built along areas that would serve more people.
“It will be used by tourists and people who want to go to the beach, but not commuters,” she said. “Traffic congestion is in other parts of Los Angeles, too.”
Others say they believe traffic decongestion is not the only benefit to subway expansion.
Rachel Lee, a first-year applied mathematics student, said the subway would encourage more students to take advantage of public transportation.
“We can’t drive around because we don’t have cars,” she said.
She added that she has only taken the bus a few times but would consider taking the subway.
“I don’t feel safe on the bus, but I think the subway would be faster because there’s no traffic,” Lee said.
The intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue is about nine miles away from campus. Lee said that while it would be difficult to get to the subway, she would prefer it to the bus.
“Some people like me don’t like the bus, and I’d definitely prefer taking the subway,” she said.
She suggested that a shuttle or bus line from UCLA to the Red Line should be set up.
Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Los Angeles, introduced the bill last week to Congress for the second time. The bill failed to get a vote in the Senate after being passed in the House last year.
Waxman was responsible for the original bill that banned funding for tunneling in the area.
Recent research from independent review panels, which showed that new technology could allow construction to be done safely, encouraged Waxman to support the subway expansion project.
The Red Line now runs 17 miles, from downtown to the San Fernando Valley.
With reports from Bruin wire services.