Sepulveda Blvd. Reverse-Flow Lanes Included in Bradley Plan

Los Angeles officials plan to create reverse-flow lanes within 90 days for car pools and buses on Sepulveda Boulevard where it crosses the Santa Monica Mountains between the San Fernando Valley and the Westside, a top city aide said Thursday.

“We don’t see any major engineering roadblocks in the way of what we believe will be a very effective congestion-relief measure” for the San Diego Freeway, said William Bicker, Mayor Tom Bradley’s transportation deputy. The freeway and the boulevard run side by side through Sepulveda Pass.

Bradley this week included the reverse-flow lanes, which would extend from Ventura Boulevard to either Sunset or Wilshire boulevards, on a list of 20 congestion-relief recommendations to the City Council.

The package already has been endorsed by Councilmen Michael Woo, Marvin Braude and Richard Alatorre. Also promptly endorsing the plan was Nikolas Patsaouras, president of the Rapid Transit District. Patsaouras has led efforts in recent months to implement congestion-relief measures.

As proposed by Bradley, the four-lane Sepulveda Boulevard would be converted to three lanes southbound and one northbound in the morning rush hours and three lanes northbound and one southbound in the peak evening hours.

The rest of the day, it would remain two lanes each way.

During peak hours, the new lanes would be designated “diamond lanes,” restricted to vehicles with two or more passengers.

“This has been studied for quite a while,” Bicker said, “and it looks like all that needs to be done is to paint some diamonds on the pavement, buy some traffic cones and put a truck and a crew out there to put them down and pick them up.”

City transportation officials estimate the lane plan will cost about $100,000 a year.

Bicker said that the city Department of Transportation also plans to begin running its own buses between the Valley and Westside to take advantage of the new lanes.