Local News in Brief : Commission OKs Light-Rail Route

The northern route of a planned light-rail line that would run from Marina del Rey south to the Century Freeway near El Segundo has been approved by county officials.

The route selected by the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission--beginning at the Century Freeway near Imperial Highway and extending north along the west side of Aviation Boulevard--drew little community opposition at a sparsely attended public hearing in Westchester. Steve Lantz, a spokesman for the commission, attributed the absence of opposition to the fact that the route does not go by many residential areas.

County officials said an environmental impact report will determine the effects of the proposed line on businesses along the route.

The Marina del Rey-to-Century Freeway line is considered the northern segment of what the commission calls its Coastal Corridor. The commission hopes to build a line that would connect with the northern end of the Coastal Corridor in Marina del Rey and run north along the San Diego Freeway to the San Fernando Valley.