May 22, 2009 8:45 am US/Pacific
Officials Abruptly Drop Plan To Widen Sunset Blvd.
LOS ANGELES
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Los Angeles city traffic officials have abruptly dropped a plan to widen congested Sunset Boulevard in Brentwood after the proposal generated widespread community outcry, it was reported today.
The controversy underscores the challenges traffic planners face in attempting to improve traffic flow -- even in notoriously clogged areas such as the Westside, the Los Angeles Times reported. City officials say this stretch of Sunset is one of the most congested in the region.
The Los Angeles Department of Transportation last month proposed adding
one eastbound lane on Sunset, from Barrington Avenue to Gunston Drive, about a 0.4-mile stretch.
Officials had asked the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to fund about $4 million of the project's estimated $6.1 million price tag, according to The Times.
The DOT shelved the project at the request of Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, whose district includes Brentwood, the newspaper reported.
Rosendahl told The Times he initially supported the department's funding
application because he believed the money would not be restricted to a
specific road proposal. But he said he learned the money would be limited to widening Sunset Boulevard, a proposal to which there was "tremendous
opposition."
Hundreds of residents contacted Rosendahl, questioning whether adding a
lane would effectively ease traffic congestion, according to The Times. They
also said the proposal was not properly vetted, and that widening Sunset
violated existing community plans to preserve the scenic highway.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
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