With phase one of the Expo Light Rail Line nearly complete, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Exposition Construction Authority are gearing up for the final stage of the project, which will take riders from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica in less than an hour.

On Monday night inside the Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services gymnasium, located at 3200 Motor Ave., members of the Westside community were given an opportunity to view and weigh in on renderings of the proposed crossings, rail alignment and passenger stations for phase two.

“As far as the design process, we kicked off the design in May of this year, we held community meetings,” said Expo government/community relations manager Gabriela Collins. “And now we are progressing toward 60 percent design development. The team has been working on progressing these designs over the last couple of months and we are ready to show you the renderings. That is the purpose of tonight’s meeting.”

Phase one of the project, from downtown Los Angeles to Culver City, was approved in 2005 and broke ground the subsequent year. With more than 95 percent constructed, service to the Culver City station is anticipated in 2012. Here, the 8.6 miles will be complemented by 12 stations, two of which will be shared with the Blue Line. It is estimated that ridership will reach 27,000 per day by 2020. Once at the stop in downtown Los Angeles, riders can then take other lines to the Wilshire area as well as Hollywood.

Phase two, from Culver City to Santa Monica, was approved in 2010 and construction is scheduled to begin either late this year or early next year. It is expected to open in 2015 and service up to 64,000 riders per day by 2030. Seven stations will be served along the 6.6 miles of track.

At a cost of approximately $2.4 billion — for both stages — transit officials predict the line will be one of the most heavily used light rail lines in the country. And with the cost of gasoline rising, Samantha Bricker, COO of the Exposition Construction Authority, believes motorists will embrace the low-cost alternative.

“We’re really providing an alternative for people who are coming from the eastside or from other areas so they don’t have to get on the 10 freeway,” she said. “I think this going to be a milestone project, and that’s because it’s going to be the first rail line to the westside. It really will be an alternative to the 10 freeway and give people a mass transit alternative. It will link a lot of communities together and provide people with a fast and efficient alternative. ... I just think people are crying out for an alternative. This will open the door for people who shy away from those areas due to traffic. This will be huge both for the westside as well as for the county because it will give people an incentive to go visit these areas without having to get in their car and pay $50 to park or for gas.”

The line, according to Metro officials, will shorten commutes and increase mobility, providing faster and more dependable public transportation. It will also help people access popular destinations such as USC, Exposition Park and the Santa Monica Pier.

Also as part of the project, bike paths, pedestrian walkways and landscaping will be created to beautify the area, as will public artwork.

Bricker could not give the percentage on how much of the 15.2 mile line will be at-grade, above-grade and below-grade, but said they will be using a combination of all three.

“Light rail is typically at-grade; it’s typically what the type of technology is,” she said. “But, we grade separate when you have traffic issues, safety issues, engineering issues, all of those go into your environmental document and you assess those, then make recommendations.”

There will be some traffic impacts, but Bricker noted that they have sought to mitigate them in a variety of ways — having one lane open in each direction in construction areas, providing signage that informs motorists about alternative routes and detours and advanced notification to the community and businesses.

As for potential displacement of businesses, Bricker said some properties have been identified in the environmental document, which states those that would need to acquired in order for the project to move forward as planned.

According to Bricker, they are and have been working with property owners. In some cases, they will need an entire property, in others they may only need a portion, such as a parking lot. “But that comes when you’re a little further in the design to see if you can design around it or what the impact would be,” she added. “We do have some full-takes. The biggest full-take was the maintenance facility that we needed out in Santa Monica. We worked with Verizon, which is the property owner, and we have purchased that property. So we have some very large purchases and some small purchases. Those are ongoing right now.”

No residential properties will need to be acquired, she said.

To address safety issues, they will implement flashing lights, bells and sidewalk gates, countdown timers at crosswalks, signage, striping and audio features.

Also, Metro has a Safety Ambassador Program, Bricker said, whereby operators go into the communities to educate the public about the line and provide tips on how they can cross safely. Such outreach, she noted, has been especially aggressive at schools — Bricker estimates there are 85 schools within distance from phase one alone — and senior centers.

In all, officials expect the project to generate 10,000 jobs, many of them in construction. Businesses, in particular are said to benefit thanks to a 20 percent small business enterprise goal. Of that seven percent has to go to local, small businesses. This will be further complimented by a 30 percent local hire goal, whereby they will hire trained members of the community who are within miles of the project. Here, they are also seeking to employ the unemployed and underemployed.

“By giving those who live, work and play in the Exposition Corridor an alternative to driving, the Expo Line will contribute to reduced levels of air pollutants and greenhouse gases, thereby improving the overall quality of life,” said the printed pamphlet, which added that the line will help cut fuel consumption, leading to cleaner air and energy conservation. It is also Metro’s belief that the line will be a shot in the arm for property values and economic development.

But some residents aren’t buying that notion. One is Donna Blass, a disabled woman who says she has already been highly affected by the project. Living between Westwood and Exposition boulevards, “They’re acting like all stakeholders are equal and they’re not. Unfortunately, instead of them building it underground in my area, they decided to build a bridge, which is similar to a freeway overpass, in front of my house,” she said. “I’m in the middle of where the rise is. So, to act like my situation is the same as the people that live a mile away and invite everybody here is completely inappropriate.

“I’m feeling like my property is going to be destroyed; it’s going to be worthless. I’ve already a requested a decline in value hearing on my property because there are other quality of life problems caused by the city of Los Angeles besides this,” she added, saying that she lives under the flight path of the Santa Monica Airport where jets come in and out “24 hours a day, seven days a week with no restrictions. I get woken up all night long. Some of my neighbors actually find jet fuel on their cars. The other thing is when I bought this house there was no noise from the San Diego freeway, which is one of the reasons I bought the house. And now they’ve redone that section of the freeway and I have noise from that. There is so much environmental degradation, I feel like I’m living in Chernobyl. Couple that with this line, it’s unbearable. They act like this is going to have no impact at all. They are looting the equity out of my house and leaving me with nothing. I’m a disabled person; I’m on disability, I have a fixed income. I can’t imagine what’s going to happen to my life.” 

But Willie Bell, a former member of the Palms Neighborhood Council board, is supportive. In fact, he said, the rail line hasn’t come fast enough, and he was sure to make note of it on his comment card.

“We all think it’s a good idea,” he said of the council’s view. “My problem is they told us many years ago the first phase would be done by June 2010. I hope phase two is built faster than phase one was. ... We have a train coming through at last. The traffic downtown is horrible and they charge you so much for parking. I can go down there, get off, do my shopping, come back and get on the train then get back here to the westside. It will certainly be much easier to get somewhere on the weekends.”

Persons interested in giving their input can call (-Expo or visit www.buildexpo.org.

Caption: A westside resident takes a good look at the renderings for phase two of the Expo Line, which will take riders from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica when it is complete in 2015. (Photo by Leiloni De Gruy)