LOS ANGELES — A rail transit line over Sepulveda Pass, connecting the San Fernando Valley and LA’s Westside, could cost almost $14 billion, significantly higher than previous estimates, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The figures for the route paralleling the traffic-choked 405 Freeway were released Tuesday by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. LA Metro is studying four possible routes — three subway and one monorail — which would connect a Metrolink commuter rail station and Orange Line busway in the San Fernando Valley to the Purple Line subway and Expo/Sepulveda light rail line. The various options range in cost from $9.4 billion to $13.8 billion.
About $5.7 billion for the project has been earmarked for the project from a sales-tax increase approved by voters in 2016. Metro says the cost of the project has risen because of its length, including a 2-mile extension to the Van Nuys Metrolink station, and because it could include a 12.8-mile tunnel. The agency says it will seek federal and state money to bridge the funding gap, and will consider partnerships with private-sector firms to reduce costs.