LA Times Op-Ed: Beverly Hills Won't Derail Subway

An editorial in the Los Angeles Times says any legal challenge Beverly Hills or its school district mounts against the Westside Subway Extension would fail to stop the trains from tunneling under Beverly Hills High School.

The article, published Wednesday, calls the a "short-lived victory," since the Metropolitan Transportation Authority approved plans to tunnel under Beverly Hills High School to reach a station at . It also says the money necessary to sue Metro should be spent on Beverly Hills students.

The tunneling machines aren't expected to make it to Beverly Hills for about a decade, giving ample time to resolve lawsuits or federal challenges while working on earlier segments of the line. And even if the school board prevails in a lawsuit, it has little chance of forcing a change in the subway route; a more probable result would be to mandate more engineering studies. Meanwhile, the school board would waste money on litigation that would be far better spent on education.

The editorial also says putting a subway station on Santa Monica Boulevard is "geologically unfeasible." At its public hearing with Metro, under Santa Monica Boulevard. Beverly Hills also to Constellation Boulevard and Avenue of the Stars that do not involve tunneling under the high school.

To read the complete editorial, click here.

Do you agree with the editorial? Would you rather see Beverly Hills sue Metro or drop its case? Tell us in the comments below.