Sepulveda Pass Projects Concern Residents

Two upcoming roadway projects through the Sepulveda Pass have residents on edge that their lives will be disrupted and some homes uprooted as transit agencies pave the way for more traffic.

Projects include widening the 405 Freeway with a northbound carpool lane from the 10 to the 101 freeways and creating a reversible lane through the three lane Sepulveda tunnel. The reversible lane would direct traffic southbound in the morning and north at night, giving motorists two lanes to drive in during rush hour.

However, some are outraged that some plans for the 405 Freeway expansion would demolish homes; they are anxiously waiting for Caltrans officials to decide what course of action to take. Final approval of the project is expected this fall. Construction on the four-year freeway project could start in 2009.

Under the most controversial plan, 30 homes between Santa Monica Boulevard and Waterford Street in Brentwood Glen, plus a Lutheran church, could be razed, along with seven houses in Sherman Oaks around Valley Vista Boulevard and two commercial buildings in Westwood near Ovada Place.

A second plan under consideration spares the Brentwood homes and church but could still level the Sherman Oaks homes and Westwood commercial buildings, according to the EIR.

Others living near the Sepulveda Pass fear the project will drive more traffic into their neighborhoods as drivers seek shortcuts through construction.

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