The Sepulveda Pass Transit Corridor is a planned transit corridor connecting the Los Angeles Basin to the San Fernando Valley. Project alternatives along the four mile section of I-405, with an option for a heavy rail or light rail line along the tunnel corridor; providing bus-only on- and off-ramps for bus rapid transit service on the I-405 carpool lanes; and implementing peak-hour bus rapid transit lanes on the freeway’s shoulders.
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The Sepulveda Pass Interstate 405 commute between Interstate 10 and CA Highway 101 is the most heavily congested freeways in the United States with over 500,000 commuters daily.
The most popular idea has been a rail transit tunnel, as the rugged terrain of the pass makes surface and elevated alternatives almost equally expensive. Metro Chief Executive Philip Washington has proposed a $20 billion tunnel under the pass containing a toll road and a rapid transit rail line. The project would be financed in partnership with private companies, which would be allowed to collect tolls for a certain number of years. As of 2015, Metro has $1 billion in funds available for construction beginning 2028; thus funding from other sources would have to be found as well.
Project
The project is considered a way to relieve freeway congestion and provide an alternative to I-405 through the Sepulveda Pass. A total of $1.0 billion of funding is allotted to the Sepulveda Pass Transit Corridor project under Measure R. Under Measure R, the expected completion of the project is 2039, but with the 30/10 Plan, now known nationally as America Fast Forward, the project could be built in less than 10 years.
LA Metro's current plan is to use the 2016 passed Measure M funds increasing the sales tax by 1/2 cent. The bond is a permanent sales tax unlike Measure R that is temporary.
Advocacy
Transit advocates have proposed combining the Van Nuys Transit Corridor and Sepulveda Pass Corridor into a single study with an aim to connect Sylmar, Van Nuys, the Orange Line, Sherman Oaks, UCLA, and the future Westwood/UCLA Purple Line station, with a future extension south to the Expo Line, Los Angeles International Airport, South Bay, or beyond.