Will This Idea Finally Ease The Traffic On The 405?

So, LA Metro just approved plans to build a fully underground subway that would run through the Sepulveda Pass, basically connecting the San Fernando Valley to the Westside without having to sit in that awful 405 traffic.

I know…they’ve tried everything…carpool lanes, express lanes, they even added lanes…and nothing helps.

But this would finally give people a fast alternative — potentially getting from the Valley to places like UCLA or the Westside in as little as 20 minutes depending on the trip.

The project is massive... we’re talking around $20 to $25 billion and it’s still years away from opening (like 2033ish), but officials say it could transform commuting in LA and give people a real alternative to one of the most congested freeways in the country.

For this project they would use Tunnel Boring Machines, which act as "rolling factories" to excavate and build the tunnel simultaneously with minimal surface impact.

Digging will be up to 500 feet deep to minimize impacts on residential areas and as far as earthquakes go, tunnels move with the surrounding earth rather than against it, making them naturally more resilient to ground shaking. LA Metro tunnels suffered no damage during the 1994 quake.