Tinseltown asks Uncle Sam to rein in Metro Rail.

Fearing that Metro Rail construction could further throttle Hollywood's economy, more than 100 Tinseltown merchants and property owners have signed a petition urging the U.S. government to review whether adequate local steps have been taken to protect their businesses during subway work.

The request to further study the impact of subway work on the movie capital could increase the costs of a 17-mile system already at least $473 million over budget, transit official complain. It also echoes the anxiety of the Hollywood business community over major public works ventures -- including a controversial, $1 billion urban renewal project recently upheld by the courts.

Though actual burrowing of Metro Rail under Hollywood Boulevard is only 10 months away, business owners and activists claim local transit officials have failed to outline how retail outfits and historical landmarks will be protected -- or sheltered -- from the diverted traffic, chewed-up sidewalks and barricades generated by heavy construction work. The group leading the charge, the Hollywood Boulevard Community Council, wants a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation to force the issue.

"When a tornado is about to hit, obviously you have a reason to be concerned," said Bob Goldfarb, vice chairman of the boulevard group and owner of several McDonald's franchises in the area. "People don't want to be around heavy work because it's foreboding, and that will drive customers and tourists away."

Especially alarming to many merchants is the possibility of a repeat of the problems encountered by retailers in downtown Los Angeles, who blamed sluggish sales on the hindrances created by street-level Metro Rail work.

The 113 petition signers run the gamut of Hollywood commerce: from small souvenier shops and tour guide companies to real estate outfits and trendy cafes and clubs like the Musso & Frank Grill, Gorky's Cafe and the China Club, Shoring up that coalition are the Los Angeles Conservancy, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Actors' Equity Association and the owner of the Pantages and Stella Adler theaters.

Specifically, the Hollywood Boulevard group wants the federal Urban Mass Transit Administration to intervene before the tunneling begins, by re-opening the review process spelling out how structures on the National Register of Historic Places will be affected. That process would likely spark a new debate about the ways businesses, already suffering from the recession and slumping tourism, can survive four to six years of Metro Rail work.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Urban Mass Transit Administration holds the federal purse strings for the subway, which is slated to run two miles from the corner of Vermont Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard to Hollywood and Vine Street by the late 1990s.

Marci Mckee, manager of Book City Collectibles, a Hollywood book and memorabilia store, said subway construction along the famous thoroughfare makes no sense to her. "We have enough problems getting in here with all the bad publicity Hollywood gets," McKee said. "Even if the construction is done well, it's still going to be a problem for anyone who concentrates on walk-ins for their business."

But officials with the Rail Construction Corp., the arm of the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission managing the subway, say they are working hard to develop ways to soothe community fears.

"We will have what will be the most aggressive program in the country because Hollywood Boulevard deserves it," said RCC spokesperson Elaine Stewart. "We acknowledge that this is a big project and there will be construction impact, but we are intent on restricting how contractors can do their work."

Among the protections being considered are the use of chain-link fencing instead of barricades, daily street clean-ups and graffiti removal, advance notice when sidewalks are impeded and lighting and signage showing that businesses are open.

The RCC board will likely approve a formal mitigation package late this month or next, Stewart said, adding that it is still unknown whether construction on the boulevard will occur during the daytime or at night -- a major issue.

Los Angeles City Councilman Michael Woo, who represents Hollywood and is a key Metro Rail supporter, said he opposes revisiting the historic preservation issue because it already been studied publicly.

"Part of the reason why we don't have rail transit is the people are so focused on the past and present, they haven't been able to get their act together for the future," Woo said.

At the same time, he added, the RCC should expedite the mitigation issue and ponder switching construction techniques. Instead of using the traditional "cut and cover" method -- where 40- to 60-feet holes are dug and then covered with planks -- the RCC may urge a mining technique where the burrowing is almost all below the street.

The petition drive is the second in two months seeking government action. Last September, the city of Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission voted not to reopen public hearings on Metro Rail. In doing so, the commission cited the results of a 1989 environmental impact report which found the subway would not case any physical damage to historic buildings in Hollywood, like the El Capitan theater in the newly christened media district.

But activists maintain the RCC and others have been callous towards them.

"If Metro Rail is going to destroy the Hollywood community, it shouldn't be here," said Robert Nudelman, a member of the boulevard group. "They (transit officials) have said they would give us a better mitigation package for months but they've nothing but just talk."

An Urban Mass Transit Administration spokesperson confirmed the agency had received the petitions and said a formal response will be forthcoming.