Subway to the Sea work starts

Moving the "subway to the sea" concept one step closer to reality, local officials Thursday announced the completion of exploratory drillings at 70 locations in the Westside, where proponents envision miles of underground tunnels linking downtown to Santa Monica.

The drillings, critical to determine whether the soil makeup and methane gas content are safe enough to allow for a full-scale tunneling project, come nearly two years after Congress lifted a 21-year ban on tunneling under Wilshire Boulevard.

The ban was triggered by an underground explosion in the Fairfax area during construction of the Red Line in the 1980s.