The bike path running along the Expo Line has an over half a mile gap here in Rancho Park, between Overland and Motor Avenues.

Tomorrow, the public is invited to a meeting community meeting to provide input on how to close what is called the Northvale Gap.

Here are the details from the LA Department of Transportation:

Expo-Northvale Bicycle Path Open House

Palms-Rancho Park Branch Library – Meeting Room [2920 Overland Ave, Los Angeles]

January 13th, from 6 to…

The Expo Construction Authority issued a press release today stating that major construction has begun on Phase Two of the Expo Line with the start of work on the bridge at Centinela Ave., a structure the authority estimates will take a year to complete.…

An appeals court has affirmed Judge Thomas McKnew's earlier decision to deny the lawsuit challenging Phase Two of the Expo Line, which goes from Culver City through Rancho Park to Santa Monica.

They write:

"We find no merit in petitioner's contentions and affirm the judgment."

You can read the full decision here.  Here is a link to my earlier…

Rancho Park Expo Line Construction NoticeExpo construction crews will be relocating existing gas pipelines at Military Ave and Exposition Blvd, along the MTA right of way. The work will require full closure of Military Avenue at the intersection with Exposition Blvd for one week, beginning Monday, March 19 through Friday, March 23 from 9 am to 3:30 pm.

The notice of utility work says the noise, from the operation of…

What was once an eyesore and was finally cleaned up and landscaped will now become a construction zone as Phase 2 of the Expo Light Rail Line begins.

Work crews will remove existing train tracks along the Expo right-of-way in Rancho Park and Cheviot Hills starting January 9. The work should be completed in April, according to BuildExpo.org.

Work crews will remove the existing railroad tracks consisting of rails, fasteners, and ties from Military Avenue to Bagley…

Get Shaking Rancho Park and Westwood!

The Westside Neighborhood Council, along with several city departments, is sponsoring an Emergency Prepareness Expo today at the Westwood Public Library. No need to put off getting prepared. There will be reps from DWP, the Fire Department and…

The end of the line will mark a symbolic new beginning for the Expo Line project when the official groundbreaking ceremony for Phase 2 takes place this morning at 9:30 a.m. in Santa Monica, at Colorado Blvd. and 4th Street.

Recent stories in the Los Angeles Times and on CurbedLA indicate that leaders,…

Even before the current route for Phase Two of the Expo Line had been selected, Rancho Park area resident Johnathan Weiss proposed turning the existing right of way between Overland Ave. and Westwood Blvd. into a greenway. His plan includes details about how to filter runoff and provide a parklike setting for recreation and education, including bike and pedestrian pathways. 

Now all it needs is…

If you missed yesterday's Expo Construction Authority's community planning meeting in Santa Monica, fear not. There is another meeting for folks at our end of the line tomorrow evening in the Vista del Mar gymnasium. The formal presentation begins at 6:30 pm , followed by breakout sessions from 7:00 - 8:00.

The community meetings are billed as a time to learn about the project design and…

The Expo Construction Authority has scheduled two upcoming meetings for Phase 2 of the Expo Light Rail. The meetings will be an opportunity for community members to meet the construction team and learn about the design process and timeline.

The first meeting will be held May 9 at the Santa Moncia and the second here in our Rancho Park/Cheviot Hills neighborhood on May 11.

According to the…

Important decisions affecting the design and construction of the Expo Line Light Rail are coming up fast. This month, the Expo Board may vote on whether or not to incorporate a parking lot as part of the Westwood Station, which is expected to one of the busiest on the line. The current plan calls for building 170 parking spaces with an additional option to forgo the parking, and use it for park space. Sepulveda Blvd, about half a mile away, will have a parking lot.

You can…

Superior Court Judge Thomas McKnew issued a ruling yesterday to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Neighbors for Smart Rail, challenging aspects of the final envirnomental impact report for Phase 2 of the Expo Line, which travels from Culver City through Cheviot Hills and Rancho Park to Santa Monica. You can read the whole decision…

Now it is official. For the portion of the Expo Line that starts in Culver City and runs through Cheviot Hills, Rancho Park, West LA to Santa Monica, the MTA's Expo Authority will award the design-build contract to  Skanska/Rados a joint venture involving Skanska USA Civil West, a subsidiary of Skanska USA, and Steve P. Rados Inc., based in Santa Ana. The contract is expected to be officially awarded at the March 18 Expo Authority board meeting.

An initial review had raised…

With Phase 2 of the Expo Light Rail crossing through Rancho Park's main thoroughfares of Overland, Westwood, Sepulveda and Sawtelle, we are keenly following any development developments. So thanks to Karen Leonard and Sarah Hays of Light Rail for Cheviot, for this heads-up about the Expo Authority being close to selecting construction joint venture Skanska/Rados for the  Phase 2 design-build contract.

You can…

Here in Rancho Park and Cheviot Hills, we are hearing quite a bit of spin  about the proposed bike path to run along Phase 2 of the Expo Line light rail route, which travels through the Westside, from from Culver City to Santa Monica.

At issue is an assertion in the Cheviot Hills Homeowners' Association's Winter newsletter (not online yet) that federal funding has been suspended for this project due to a lawsuit filed by…

The judge gave an initial ruling to dismiss the NFSR lawsuit but won't have a final decision until early next year. Here's the whole story from Damien Newton at LA Streetsblog who writes: "What this means is that while it’s possible (Judge) McKnew will change his mind, his preliminary research favors Expo’s argument that their environmental studies are adequate to…