LA Metro to present latest West Santa Ana light-rail plan to the public

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has scheduled a series of community meetings to review the Artesia-to-downtown LA light-rail project, which also is known as the West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor.

The environmental study for the project is underway and the agency's board last month approved a series of project refinements that will be discussed at the meetings to be held Jan. 30, Feb. 2 and Feb. 7.

Metro is evaluating a new 19-mile light-rail line that would connect downtown LA to southeast LA County. The project's name originates from the southern portion of the route south of the Metro Green Line that follows the old Pacific Electric streetcar alignment known as the West Santa Ana Branch Corridor, Metro officials said in a project summary. The project is anticipated to start in 2022. 

The project refinements include an aerial structure over Interstate 10 and the addition of five aerial grade separations along the corridor. Project components that have been removed from further consideration are: three proposed stations at Washington, Vernon and 183rd/Gridley; an optional Bloomfield extension and station; and the Pershing Square design option.

Metro plans to conduct a separate feasibility study on a potential station at the LA River and Rio Hondo confluence site in South Gate. The agency seeks to determine whether to advance that proposed station to an environmental review after the completion of the project's environmental process.