101 EXPANSION PLAN SHELVED WIDENING PROPOSAL WOULD COST PROPERTIES.

Byline: Lisa Mascaro Staff Writer

Caving to widespread opposition, the 101 Freeway Study steering committee officially shelved a $3.4 billion plan Friday to expand the freeway with new car-pool lanes, and called on the MTA to focus on public transit instead.

The committee's decision confirmed positions taken last week by its chairwoman - state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Los Angeles - as well as Caltrans and MTA officials, that they would seek options other than the despised widening proposal that would take up to 1,000 properties.

The 30-member committee - composed of elected officials and representatives from transit agencies - recommended that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority pursue short-term improvements, like ramp and street widenings. They also asked to put a ``placeholder'' in the region's long-term funding plan for a broader freeway-corridor fix that would include mass transit among its options.

``What we heard more that anything ... was transit. Transit is something people really want,'' said Kuehl's representative, Laurie Newman.

The small West Valley cities pushing to get the Ventura Freeway in line for future funds left the meeting hopeful that the MTA would continue pursuing a more palatable long-term strategy.

``I'm cautiously optimistic the message we put out today will be heard (by) the board of the MTA,'' said Calabasas Councilman Dennis Washburn. ``We need money to (implement) the dreams expressed here. And the keeper of the money is MTA.''

Agoura Hills Mayor Jeff Reinhardt suggested holding a voter referendum in November to gauge community support for a variety of options.

``Let those chips fall where they may - as an advisory vote,'' said Reinhardt, who helped launch the study after calling a Ventura Freeway summit two years ago.

Gridlock on the Ventura Freeway, already at eight hours a day, is expected to nearly double to 14 hours by 2025, planners have said.

Population growth - primarily in the San Fernando Valley and downtown - are key contributors, and planners say seven new freeway lanes would be needed.

The now-discarded proposal to add two car-pool lanes each way - along with a mixed lane west of Topanga Canyon Boulevard - would have shaved about 1 minute per mile for commuters using the HOV lane.

``The whole system is going to collapse. What that means to the economy, to property values, we have to think about that,'' Caltrans planner Linda Taira, who has led the 101 project, told the group. ``It takes a long time to build these major improvements. We have to start planning early.''

The meeting had its share of sparks - the small West Valley cities complained that Los Angeles city officials had failed to get involved earlier and could contribute funding now, while council representatives shot back that they had been keeping track of the study.

Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn's representative suggested postponing the recommendation because of community opposition to some of the short-term street and ramp improvements, but Newman insisted that it progress.

The West Valley cities added that they never targeted the San Fernando Valley for freeway expansion. Their initial study request was just for the West Valley area but Caltrans wanted to expand it all the way to Hollywood - and said they're open to a range of solutions.