Noise from Metro’s La Cienega staging area was one of the concerns a few residents mentioned during a community meeting on April 3, one of many that have been held to provide updates on Purple Line Extension construction.

Metro has conducted additional noise monitoring at 8500 Wilshire Blvd., where there have been a few complaints about noise. So far, a project manager for the city said noise from Metro’s nearby staging area has stayed within agreed-upon limits with the city. (photo from Google Maps)

Beverly Hills spokesman Keith Sterling said there have been noise complaints from three residents and five businesses, including comments from last week’s meeting, over a ventilation system for workers underground. Rob Welch, a project manager for the city, said Metro has not exceeded noise limits agreed upon by both sides. But Metro has added sound blankets and a higher wall to further help reduce the noise. It has also conducted sound monitoring from an office building at 8500 Wilshire Blvd., where some of the complaints have been coming from.

“While noise levels have been within compliance levels set out in the [memorandum of agreement with the city],” read a statement from Metro, “Metro has implemented additional mitigation measures to reduce noise related to the ventilation system and has voluntarily analyzed additional mitigation measures that could be implemented to reduce the noise being perceived by some of the tenants at 8500 Wilshire Blvd. The final acoustical analysis, findings and recommendations have been submitted to the City of Beverly Hills on April 5, 2019, for future city action.”

Construction in Beverly Hills is part of Section 2 of the Purple Line Extension project, which will connect downtown Los Angeles with Westwood. Noise along Wilshire Boulevard was one of the concerns that businesses had when the Beverly Hills City Council approved a memorandum of agreement with Metro for construction of the Wilshire/Rodeo station. The city is also incorporating the Metro construction into its complete streets plan, which will be designed to give “all road users” choices for how to get around Beverly Hills, including autonomous vehicles when they become more prevalent.

“That will include bikeways to and from the future stations, upgraded pedestrian crossings, streetscape enhancements, ideas for how you might consider passenger loading at the stations,” said Jesse Holzer, a transportation planner for the city of Beverly Hills. “And what this plan will be is a blueprint or guiding framework for how you conduct transportation in the city.”

Section 1 of the Purple Line, which runs down Wilshire Boulevard and will have stations at La Brea Avenue, Fairfax Avenue and La Cienega Boulevard, is scheduled to be in operation in 2023. Section 2, which will include Wilshire/Rodeo and Century City/Constellation stations, is scheduled to open in 2025. The project is scheduled to be fully completed and in operation in 2027, ahead of the 2028 Olympics in L.A. The originally scheduled date of completion was toward the end of 2026.

“Because we’re still waiting for a full-funding grant agreement for Section 3, the opening date has been pushed back just a little to spring or winter of 2027,” said Marlon Walker, a construction relations assistant manager for Metro.