Draft Environmental Impact Report released for L.A. Metro’s West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Report (DEIS/R) for the West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor (WSAB) project was released by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro).

The WSAB project is a planned light-rail line that would connect southeast Los Angeles County to downtown Los Angeles.

This new rail line would run through or be adjacent to Artesia, Cerritos, Bellflower, Paramount, Downey, South Gate, Cudahy, Bell, Huntington Park, Vernon, unincorporated Florence-Firestone and DTLA. The southernmost part of the rail line, south of Paramount, would be built along the old West Santa Ana Branch streetcar route on land that L.A. Metro acquired years ago and owns.

The DEIS/R looks at the project’s potential impacts including land acquisitions, transportation (i.e. traffic and parking) and noise — and potential mitigations for those impacts.

L.A. Metro is gathering public input over the next 45 days on the report with three virtual meetings scheduled in August.

There are four alternatives for the project’s route that are studied in the report.

The L.A. Metro Board will ultimately select the locally preferred alternative. Both federal and state environmental law recommends an agency select a preferred alternative and L.A. Metro staff at this time are recommending Alternative 3. After the DEIS/R is circulated, public comments will be analyzed by L.A. Metro staff to determine if Alternative 3 should be recommended to the board as the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA).

The L.A. Metro Board can choose to modify the staff recommendation or select another alternative as the LPA if they decide that would best serve the public and meet the project’s purpose and need.

L.A. Metro says it has about $4 billion from Measure M — the sales tax approved by L.A. County voters in 2016 — and other sources to build the project to downtown and the agency is exploring whether the project could be built as a partnership between the public and private sectors. The updated cost estimates exceed Measure M funding.

Community members are encouraged to visit the project website to view, download and comment on the Draft EIS/EIR. A complete list of locations where the printed document can be found is also listed on the project website. The public review and comment period will extend from July 30 to Sept. 13.