Traffic at Wilshire and La Cienega will be impacted by construction for the nearby subway station for more than two years. (photo by Cameron Kiszla)

The stretch of Wilshire Boulevard in the easternmost portion of Beverly Hills will experience some traffic impacts due to construction that will last approximately two and a half years.

The traffic changes, which include a narrowing of Wilshire between La Cienega and San Vicente boulevards to two lanes and closures of nearby North Gale Drive, will accommodate construction on the Wilshire/La Cienega subway station, part of Metro’s Purple Line Extension project.

The work, known as appendage structure construction, provides “vital functions of the station, such as emergency exits, utility rooms, ventilation shafts, entrance and exit structures for maintenance and more,” according to a report by Beverly Hills city staff.

On March 2, the Beverly Hills City Council unanimously approved the work and traffic changes to begin this month, though multiple council members noted that the city did not have much of a choice, as the work is necessary.

“There is no practical alternative,” Vice Mayor Robert Wunderlich said.

The council members expressed some concern about the timing of the discussion, as the original agreement with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority did not include these street closures.

“We just weren’t aware of what kind of closures the appendage work would entail,” City Attorney Laurence Wiener told the council.

This process is not likely to be repeated at the next location, the Wilshire/Rodeo station, as city staff has learned more about the subway construction process and the street closures were already included in the agreement for that portion of the work, said Rob Welch, engineering manager for the city.

The two-and-a-half-year-long traffic impact will be divided into two phases, a 20-month first period and a second period lasting approximately nine months. Wilshire will be limited to two lanes in each direction for both phases, and both include some sidewalk closures. The first phase includes a four-month full closure and seven-month directional closure of North Gale Drive, while the second phase involves only daytime directional closures of Gale.

“Phase One would extend into late 2022, followed by Phase Two into the summer of 2023,” Welch said.

While the council members were initially concerned about the impact on Gale Drive, they were put at ease by Welch’s assertion that none of the nearby business owners or residents had been severely impacted thus far, and Gale has already been closed at points.

“Neither the city nor Metro has received one complaint regarding the closure of North Gale,” Welch said.

“We were happy to know … during this time there have already been numerous closures of Gale, and there haven’t been any issues with that,” Councilwoman Lili Bosse said.

City staff will continue outreach, including to the nearby Saban Theatre, where the Beverly Hills Temple of the Arts operates, Welch said.

“We talked through it with them … We will continue to meet with them on a biweekly basis and coordinate any impacts that they may see and mitigate those,” Welch said.

In addition to continuing to minimize the impact on the community, the council members also touted the benefits Metro will provide to the community in exchange for the traffic impacts that were not included in the initial agreement. Those improvements include enhanced video detection for traffic in the area, the installation of wayfinding signs and public information graphics, and enhanced landscaping in the median that will be constructed once work is complete.

“The enhanced landscape in the median is going to be a beautiful gateway, as opposed to just a replacement of the concrete and what was there before,” Mayor Lester Friedman said.