LA Mayor Karen Bass proposes Metro boost amid 10 Freeway closure

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who also chairs the Metro Board of Directors, introduced a proposal Thursday with a series of steps she wants the transit agency to take to encourage the use of public transportation during the extended closure of the 10 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles.

Among the directives included in the motion are a lifting of the ride cap for Metro low-income fare LIFE program, coordination with local jurisdictions to speed up trains and buses in the closure area and increase the number of "Transit Ambassadors" on the system to assist riders, particularly those who may be riding for the first time.

The motion also calls for free use of the Metro Bike-Share system during the closure and reduced daily parking rates of 10 cents at Metro Park and Ride lots.

10 FREEWAY FIRE

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"Metro has reported that ridership on the E (Expo) Line is up 10% which runs parallel to the freeway," Bass said in a statement. "This shows that our message to take Metro during the closure is resonating, but we have an opportunity to do more to address the impacts for communities and commuters during the closure and beyond, and that is what we will continue to urgently work toward."

Several other Metro board members seconded the motion, including county Supervisors Janice Hahn, Holly Mitchell and Hilda Solis, Whittier Mayor pro tem Fernando Dutra and Glendale City Councilman Ara Najarian.

"This is about common sense solutions to help more people get where they need to on the bus or train while we fix the I-10 as quickly as possible," Hahn said in a statement.

Bass earlier directed the Los Angeles City Department of Transportation to make Commuter Express and DASH buses free to encourage commuters to use public transportation. She also requested an increase in the number of white-glove traffic officers in congested areas to assist commuters through busy intersections.

The freeway remains closed between roughly Alameda Street and the East L.A. Interchange as crews expedite repairs caused by a massive fire that erupted early Saturday morning, damaging the freeway deck and as many as 100 freeway support columns.

State officials announced Wednesday that contractors had removed all of the debris and hazardous materials from beneath the damaged freeway stretch. Caltrans officials said about 264,000 cubic feet of material was removed, enough to fill four Olympic-size swimming pools. More than two dozen burned vehicles were also removed from the area.

Some temporary supports have already been put in place, and work to repair and shore-up damaged freeway columns will continue around the clock, with the overall effort expected to take between three and five weeks.

Officials had initially feared the closure could last for months if the damage was so extensive that it would require demolition and rebuilding of the stretch. But Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that tests on concrete and rebar determined that the structural integrity of the freeway was better than anticipated, so it can be repaired without a full tear-down.

Citing an unnamed Caltrans source, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday that the damaged portion of the freeway could potentially reopen as early as next week, rather than in three to five weeks. But a representative from Caltrans on Thursday morning denied the report.

Bass has repeatedly called for commuters to take public transit, work from home or staying on freeways as much as possible to prevent traffic from jamming local streets. The closed portion of the 10 Freeway between Alameda Street and the East L.A. Interchange typically carries about 300,000 vehicles per day.

The Saturday morning fire has been deemed by investigators to have been intentionally set, breaking out within the fenceline of a storage yard. Officials have declined to indicate exactly how the fire may have been set or to say how they so quickly determined it was arson.

Bass said there are security cameras in the area, but it was unclear if any of them caught the culprit or culprits in the act.

Anyone with information about the start of the blaze to come forward and call a hotline at 800-468-4408.

The company that leases the property where the fire occurred, Calabasas-based Apex Development, is being sued by the state for failure to pay rent and violating the terms of its lease, in part by subleasing the property to other businesses and by allowing flammable materials to be stored on the land.

Another court hearing in that case is expected early next year.

Newsom said Caltrans is reviewing all similar leases to determine if other companies might be violating lease terms. Bass said she has asked all city general managers to report if their agencies have any active leases of property beneath the freeway.

State officials established a website at fixthe10.ca.gov to provide the latest information on the repair process.

The initial fire was reported at 12:22 a.m. Saturday in the 1700 block of East 14th Street, two blocks west of Alameda Street, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department's Margaret Stewart.

Firefighters from 26 companies worked feverishly to contain and extinguish the major emergency fire, which started in one downtown pallet yard, spread to another and consumed a fire engine that became stuck in its path, Stewart said.

The first pallet yard was 40,000 square feet in size and fully involved with flames that engulfed multiple trailers when firefighters arrived. The flames spread to the second pallet yard of similar size between Lawrence and Elwood streets.

Stewart said that by 2:33 a.m. Saturday, pallets in both yards were mostly consumed by the flames and firefighters were using bulldozers to move debris and put out hot spots.

Firefighters successfully prevented the fire from spreading to three nearby commercial buildings, Stewart said.

Metrolink expanded service beginning Monday on its San Bernardino Line to support travelers impacted by the Interstate 10 closure. On Tuesday, the schedule expanded again, with trains departing Union Station bound for Covina at 5:50, 8:08 and 10:38 a.m. and 1:38 p.m. Trains will depart Covina for Union Station at 7:08, 9:11 and 11:44 a.m. and 3:11 p.m.

An additional train will offer round-trip service between Union Station and Rancho Cucamonga, leaving L.A. Union Station at 4:22 p.m., then leaving Rancho Cucamonga heading back to L.A. at 6:46 p.m.