101 FIX SCALED BACK DOUBLE-DECKING PLAN OUT; CAR-POOL LANES IN.

Byline: Lisa Mascaro Staff Writer

Rejecting a controversial plan to double-deck the Ventura Freeway through the San Fernando Valley, transportation officials on Tuesday recommended widening the freeway between Thousand Oaks and Burbank and adding regular traffic and car-pool lanes.

They also said widening the freeway to accommodate two car-pool lanes in each direction would allow flexibility for express buses or even a rail line in the future, and give those who carpool direct connections to the 405 and 134 freeways.

But they decided against widening beyond the 101-134 freeway interchange to downtown as originally proposed, a change that helped to reduce the cost by half - to about $3.4 billion.

``That freeway's supposed to move, not be a parking lot,'' said state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Los Angeles, who was instrumental in launching the $4.5 million freeway study in 2001. She said she would continue ushering it through to ``make sure this goes from recommendation to reality.''

Kuehl called the recommendations a ``great solution for people trying to commute in the Valley.''

The recommendation by a technical committee of transit officials said at-grade car-pool lanes would be cheaper than a hotly contested plan to double-deck the Ventura Freeway through the Valley.

The proposal also includes a new regular lane between Thousand Oaks and Topanga Canyon Boulevard. Under initial estimates, improvements would shave 22 minutes off a typical commute. Updated estimates were not available Tuesday.

But with work on such a major project not expected for 20 years, the committee agreed to focus now on shorter-term improvements to ramps, lanes, streets and bus routes - options that would total $500 million.

``There is tremendous support overall for us to do something,'' said Rose Casey, deputy district director for the state Department of Transportation. ``We need to focus on the short-term solutions we can implement and deliver to the public.''

The study's technical advisory committee - made up of representatives from Caltrans, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and city public works personnel - was months overdue in making its recommendation.

The steering committee that oversaw the study will meet May 23 before sending the recommendations to the MTA, which sets priorities for funding. Another round of community meetings on the plan will begin next week.

The MTA initially supported just one car-pool lane in each direction as the most cost-effective alternative, but supported Tuesday's recommendation - with the stipulation that it would review the revised costs and property estimates, said Carol Inge of the MTA.

The Los Angeles Department of Transportation abstained from the vote, wanting more-detailed information on how freeway changes would impact city streets.

However, Homeowners of Encino President Gerald Silver, who has long fought freeway expansion plans - along with residents from Studio City and the Cahuenga Pass - noted that opposition hasn't changed much from five years ago when 10,000 residents signed a petition against car-pool lanes on the Ventura Freeway.

``This would be an absolute disaster for these residents. It's going to mean a huge number of homes and businesses will be destroyed in the process,'' he said. ``They're looking to put the whole load on the 101. All this is going to do is appease the Agoura Hills and Calabasas people at a high cost to the Valley residents.''

Residents have complained since the study got under way in 2001 that the work is being done without adequate public input.

City Councilman Tom LaBonge will introduce a resolution at today's council meeting to reconstitute the study's steering committee to include council representatives from districts along the corridor.

The three-year, $4.5 million 101 Freeway Corridor Improvement Study was launched in 2001 after Kuehl and the small West Valley cities of the Las Virgenes Council of Governments secured funding to look into the freeway, which is among the most congested in the nation.

The ambitious study is set to close down in June, one year earlier than planned because state funding is jeopardized by the state budget crisis.

The Automobile Club of Southern California supports the recommendation.

IF YOU GO

Community workshops on the 101 Freeway Corridor Improvement Study will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on the following dates: Monday, First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1760 N. Gower St.; May 8, Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center, 27040 Malibu Hills Road, Calabasas; May 12, Valley Beth Shalom Temple, Glaser Hall, 15739 Ventura Blvd., Encino.

For information, call (866) MOVE101 or visit www.communityspeakup.com/101.

CAPTION(S):

2 boxes, map

Box:

(1) PROPOSED VENTURA FREEWAY IMPROVEMENTS

SOURCE: US 101 Freeway Corridor Improvement Study and staff research

Warren Huskey/Staff Artist

(2) IF YOU GO (see text)

Map:

101 FREEWAY