A car-less route that connects two competing valleys in Los Angeles County

The San Fernando Valley and the San Gabriel Valley are two suburban regions of Los Angeles County that have, shall we say, always have been their own separate entities — and never the two shall meet.

The San Fernando Valley, since it mostly sits within the confines of the city of Los Angeles, is known as The Valley, the first suburb in Angelenos’ minds, while the San Gabriel Valley plays second fiddle, consisting of 31 separate cities laying mostly on the eastern side of the county.

Getting the two together? That takes driving a car and usually battling the perils of the often congested and accident prone 134 and 210 freeways.

That may soon change.

Construction of the first-ever mass transit system linking the two valleys got a boost from the LA Metro Governing Board on Thursday, Dec. 5, when it awarded a contract to build the first phase of the North Hollywood to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit Project.

Myers-Shimmick, a joint venture, was awarded a contract for the first phase of the project for $8.3 million. This is part of what is called a pre-construction budget laid out by Metro of $135.2 million. Construction could start sometime next year, Metro reported.

So far, Metro has received $267 million from Measure M, a transportation sales tax measure, and $50 million from a state grant, for a total of $317 million. Metro certified the project’s Final Environmental Impact Report in April 2022.

The concept — similar to the popular G Line (Orange Line) in the heart of the San Fernando Valley — will run buses on dedicated lanes and general purpose lanes as well as on the carpool lanes of the 134 Freeway. It will have 22 side-out, canopy-covered bus stations with electronic signs giving the time of the next bus arrival, all designed to make the BRT faster and more reliable than regular bus service.

The project would be a “key regional connection between the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys” and would route through the communities of North Hollywood, Burbank, Glendale, Eagle Rock, and Pasadena, according to a Metro report.

“We think of it as a light-rail on rubber tires,” said Scott Hartwell, LA Metro countywide planner overseeing the project’s design and environmental studies. The line would go from the North Hollywood B/G Lines (Red/Orange) station to the Memorial Park A Line Station in Old Pasadena, then continue in general purpose lanes in Pasadena on Colorado Boulevard to Hill Street/Pasadena City College.

The project will be built entirely within the public right-of-way, the report stated.

It would go through cultural, retail, employment and residential areas, including the NoHo Arts District, Burbank Media District, Glendale Galleria, Americana at Brand, Eagle Rock Plaza and Old Pasadena.

“I’m pleased we’ve reached this contracting milestone,” said Fifth District Supervisor and LA Metro board member Kathryn Barger in a statement. “This is an important project that was prioritized by two different subregions in my district — San Fernando Valley and Arroyo Verdugo Cities — as part of the bottom-up Measure M process.

“It will also be the first high quality transit option connecting the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys, a corridor that sees an estimated 700,000 daily trips,” she stated. “I’m proud of that.”

Metro calls the area between North Hollywood and Pasadena “one of the most heavily traveled corridors in LA County without a premium transit service.” The agency estimates about 30,000 in average daily ridership on the new BRT when it opens in 2027.

Metro planners say the riders will include college students going to and from Occidental College and Pasadena City College, as well as employees traveling to Warner Bros and Disney studios in Burbank and NBCUniversal studios.

To avoid the traffic on the 134 Freeway, a commuter from the San Gabriel Valley would have to take a roundabout transit route to reach one of the entertainment studios. For example, an employee of Universal studios in the San Gabriel Valley would currently take Metro’s A Line light-rail to Union Station in downtown LA, then go north on the B Line to the Universal City/Studio City station, which is near the NBCUniversal studios complex.

The group Vision Burbank, with about 4,000 on its email list, says it supports mass transit for commuters but disagrees with plans for dedicated bus lanes in one particular area of their city. The group has protested plans to take one mixed-flow lane from each side of Olive Avenue and turn them into bus-only lanes for the BRT.

“To take a lane away as it goes through Burbank (on Olive Avenue) will have a massive impact,” he said on Friday, Dec. 6. “It would take away parking, reduce traffic flow and create massive traffic jams.”

His group is asking the City Council to deny Metro the permits to conduct construction on Burbank Streets, if the design is not changed. “We want mixed-flow on Olive Avenue. We do not want a dedicated bus lane,” he said, saying Metro staffers are pushing through their project against the will of Burbank residents.

Metro reported the BRT line could be 30 to 40 percent faster than regular bus services in the corridor.