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North Hollywood to Pasadena Transit Corridor

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 North Hollywood to Pasadena
Transit Corridor
Overview
StatusApproved; construction underway
Termini
Service
TypeBus rapid transit
SystemLos Angeles Metro Busway
Operator(s) Metro (LACMTA)
History
Planned opening2027; 3 years' time (2027)
Route map

North Hollywood Parking
B Line G Line 
Vineland/Hesby
Olive/Riverside
Alameda/Naomi
Olive/Verdugo
Olive/Lake
Metrolink (California)
Olive/San Fernando
Glenoaks/Alameda
Glenoaks/Western
Glenoaks/Grandview
Glenoaks/Pacific
Central/Lexington
Broadway/Brand
Broadway/Glendale
Broadway/Verdugo
Eagle Rock Plaza
Colorado/Eagle Rock
Colorado/Townsend
Memorial Park
A Line 
Colorado/Los Robles
Colorado/Lake
Colorado/Hill

Handicapped/disabled access All stations are accessible

The North Hollywood to Pasadena Transit Corridor[1] is a proposed 18-mile (29 km) bus rapid transit line in the Los Angeles Metro Busway system in Los Angeles, California. It is planned to operate between Pasadena and the North Hollywood station in the San Fernando Valley, where it will connect with the B Line in the Los Angeles Metro Rail system and the G Line in the Los Angeles Metro Busway system.[2][3] The project completed its scoping phase in 2019, was approved by the Metro board on April 28, 2022[4][dead link] and is estimated to be completed by 2027.[5][6] It is part of Metro's Twenty-eight by '28 initiative.

No current Metro Rail conversion plans are scheduled, although the city of Glendale is proposing a streetcar service in its downtown area, connecting the region with "last mile/first mile" service.[7]

The east to west/west to east route will have signal priority at traffic lights, and will have exclusive lanes for most of the route. Metro reports the cost is $448 million. Metro received comments it would have to accommodate the annual Rose Parade route on Colorado Boulevard. Destinations along the route include Old Pasadena, The Paseo, and Pasadena City College and The Americana at Brand outdoor mall. It would also connect with Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, The Walt Disney Studios, The Burbank Studios, the Downtown Burbank Metrolink station, and Universal Studios Lot.[citation needed]

In November 2020, Metro launched the details of the route, its stops, where the lanes reside, and whether or not they are exclusive or in mixed traffic. Public comments were open until December 10, 2020. In April 2022, Metro approved the Environmental Impact Report for the line,[8] but was later sued in July 2022 as the meeting where the EIR was approved allegedly violated California's Brown Act.[9] However, the lawsuit failed, as confirmed in December 2023.[10]

Initial Alternative Analysis

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The BRT service is planned to connect L.A.'s San Fernando Valley communities of Burbank, North Hollywood, and Glendale with the San Gabriel Valley community of Pasadena, via Eagle Rock. An alternatives analysis study considered three main options for the route: a street-running option, an all freeway option on the SR 134 freeway, or a hybrid of both. Metro’s board of directors approved advancing a mostly street-running route with some variations for more study as part of the project’s Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR). Community meetings took place for Metro to weigh routes environmental issues and any other issue that could be address during the DEIR until the end of 2019.[11][failed verification]

  • Pasadena/Eagle Rock

In the east portion, the route begins between the Del Mar and Memorial Park stations on the A Line. Heads west along Colorado Boulevard to Eagle Rock. Metro proposes multiple options on how it passes Eagle Rock. West through Wilson Avenue, or west on Colorado St. Metro recently added a third route for the DEIR, a SR 134 freeway median route as it heads into Glendale.

  • Glendale/Burbank

After Eagle Rock, it will enter Glendale on Broadway or Colorado St and head north for a mile on Central or Brand Avenue through downtown Glendale before heading west on Glenoaks Boulevard into Burbank. The route then makes a southwest turn on Olive Avenue, the same intersection where the Downtown Burbank Metrolink station is located.

  • North Hollywood

Leaving the Metrolink station in Burbank, Metro's main option has it heading west on Olive Avenue and Riverside Drive until reaching Lankershim Boulevard and the B Line's North Hollywood station. Other North Hollywood routes optioned from the Burbank Metrolink station are west on Chandler Boulevard or Magnolia Boulevard with the same terminus. All are under the technical study for possible DEIR.[12]

  • Results

The three route options developed in the Alternative Analysis study were ranked according to multiple criteria, including projected ridership, reliability, cost, and community impacts. The ranking recommended the street-running alternative over the freeway and hybrid routes, concluding that its higher ridership and favorable connectivity were worth its additional cost.[12]

Current services

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Two express bus services currently operate in the North Hollywood–Glendale–Pasadena corridor, as precursors to the bus rapid transit service. Metro Express route 501 began operation in 2016 between North Hollywood station, Glendale, and Pasadena, as a pilot project which was later made permanent.[13] LADOT Commuter Express route 549 operates from Encino to Pasadena via North Hollywood during weekday rush hours.[14] Both routes use the SR 134 freeway, a highly-traveled and congested corridor.[15]

Proposed station list

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In April 2021, Metro presented a community update sheet which narrowed the list of alternatives down to one route based on community feedback.[16] Significant changes to the preferred alternative included a re-routing from Olive Avenue in Burbank onto Alameda Avenue and Buena Vista Street, while consolidating the two nearby proposed stations into one on Alameda and Naomi Street, as well as the elimination of the station connection to the Downtown Burbank Metrolink station due to safety concerns regarding the existing Olive Avenue bridge. In its place, a station was added nearby to Lake Street.

Stations Date Opening City/Neighborhood Major connections and notes[17][18]
North Hollywood 2027 Los Angeles
(North Hollywood)
B Line G Line 
Park and ride: 1,085 spaces
Vineland/Hesby
Olive/Riverside Burbank Warner Bros. Studios, Walt Disney Television
Alameda/Naomi The Walt Disney Studios, The Burbank Studios, Legendary Entertainment, KCET, iHeartMedia, Fremantle, Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, Johnny Carson Park
Olive/Verdugo John Burroughs High School
Olive/Lake Metrolink (California) Antelope Valley Ventura County
Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Olive/San Fernando
Glenoaks/Alameda Burbank (south)
Glendale (north)
Glenoaks/Western Glendale
Glenoaks/Grandview Grand Central Creative Campus, KABC-TV, DreamWorks Animation
Glenoaks/Pacific
Central/Lexington Consulate General of Armenia in Los Angeles
Broadway/Brand Americana at Brand, Glendale Galleria, Museum of Neon Art, Alex Theatre, Armenian American Museum
Broadway/Glendale Glendale Civic Center
Broadway/Verdugo
Eagle Rock Plaza Los Angeles
(Eagle Rock)
Colorado/Eagle Rock
Colorado/Townsend
Memorial Park Pasadena A Line 
Old Pasadena
Colorado/Los Robles USC Pacific Asia Museum, Fuller Theological Seminary, The Paseo
Colorado/Lake Pasadena Playhouse
Colorado/Hill Pasadena City College

References

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  1. ^ "NoHo To Pasadena Transit Corridor Fact Sheet". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Fall 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  2. ^ Chen, Anna (July 24, 2019). "NoHo to Pasadena BRT Project community open house to be held on Aug. 7". The Source. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
  3. ^ Hymon, Steve (June 28, 2019). "Scoping meetings for NoHo to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit project begin July 9". The Source. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
  4. ^ "That Rapid Bus Line from North Hollywood to Pasadena is Officially Happening". MSN.
  5. ^ "Update on LA Metro's North Hollywood to Pasadena BRT project". March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  6. ^ Scauzillo, Steve (February 20, 2024). "Long-planned NoHo-to-Pasadena rapid bus line gains momentum, but road blocks await". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  7. ^ Seidman, Lila (April 11, 2019). "A pair of mass transit projects could shape Glendale mobility". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  8. ^ Linton, Joe (April 28, 2022). "Metro Board Approves Bus Rapid Transit through North Hollywood, Burbank, Glendale, Eagle Rock, and Pasadena". Streetsblog Los Angeles. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  9. ^ https://mobile.twitter.com/numble/status/1556687718289002507 [bare URL]
  10. ^ "Eagle Rock bus line lawsuit fails and other news of note". The Eastsider LA. January 2, 2024. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  11. ^ "Map" (PDF). metro.legistar1.com. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  12. ^ a b Kimley-Horn Inc. (April 2019). "North Hollywood to Pasadena BRT Corridor Planning and Environmental Study: Alternatives Analysis Report" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  13. ^ Bartholomew, Dana (April 14, 2016). "Transit leaders make push to keep NoHo-Pasadena Express bus on track". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  14. ^ "Commuter Express 549 - Map and Schedule" (PDF). Los Angeles Department of Transportation. July 31, 2021.
  15. ^ "North Hollywood to Pasadena BRT Corridor Technical Study: Final Report" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2018. pp. 7–8.
  16. ^ "NoHo to Pasadena Transit Corridor Community Meeting, April 1, 2021" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. April 1, 2021.
  17. ^ "Metro B Line (Red)". www.metro.net. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  18. ^ "Metro Parking Lots by Line". www.metro.net. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
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