Community Meetings On Proposed 'Subway To The Sea' Start Tonight

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Residents will get a chance to learn more about the proposed Wilshire Boulevard subway extension at a series of community update meetings starting Monday night.

The first meeting is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. Monday night at the LACMA West Building (the landmark May Company store), 5905 Wilshire Blvd. The second meeting will be 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at Westwood United Methodist Church, 10497 Wilshire Blvd.

The final meeting will be 6-8 p.m. Jan. 31 at the Roxbury Park auditorium, 471 S. Roxbury Dr., Beverly Hills.

The Westside Subway Extension Project is planned to bring underground Purple Line trains across the Miracle Mile and Fairfax districts, Beverly Hills and Century City, then across Westwood. The project is in the final stage of the Environmental Impact Statement process.

The $5.2 billion project is scheduled to be completed in 2022, if the federal government lends Metro money to build it faster. A loan to be repaid by tax dollars has already been approved by county voters.

The subway route had run into some opposition in Beverly Hills, where residents fear construction disruption and noise from subway trains if the line is built below homes near Beverly Hills High School. Train proponents say the concerns are overblown, and the train should go below the homes and school to better serve office buildings and condos at Century City.

A similar voice of concern is coming from some homeowners south of Wilshire Boulevard in the Westwood area. And residents of the Hancock Park area are debating whether a subway station is a good idea at Wilshire at Crenshaw boulevards.

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