Harbor Transitway

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     Harbor Transitway
The Harbor Transitway as seen from the Harbor Freeway.
Info
Type Transitway
System Combined Transitway Service
Locale Los Angeles, California
Terminals 7th St/Metro Center
Pacific Coast Highway
No. of stations 10
Service routes 803
Operation
Opened 1996
Operator(s) Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA)
Technical
Line length 11 mi (18 km)
Line map


The Harbor Transitway is an 11-mile (18 km) high-occupancy vehicle roadway that runs in the median of Interstate 110 (Harbor Freeway) in Southern California, United States. The two-way roadway is open to vehicles with two or more occupants, and carries buses operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Orange County Transportation Authority, City of Gardena and City of Torrance. Five stations are located in the middle of the freeway; a sixth (the Artesia Transit Center) is off to the side of the interchange with the Gardena Freeway, and is also served by surface routes. Further south, several sections of bus-only lane, including separate roadways at two stations, exist on the sides of the freeway; buses must use a piece of Figueroa Street to reach that part from the Artesia Transit Center. The Transitway and stations have characteristics common to bus rapid transit, but no special buses are used.

Its main competitors are the Metro Blue Line to Long Beach and the Metro Rapid Line 745, just a block away on Broadway. Ridership on the Transitway is not officially tabulated because service on the Transitway consists of several Metro Express lines, two routes operated by the Orange County Transportation Authority, and services operated by the cities of Gardena, Los Angeles, and Torrance. However, anecdotally, ridership is deemed to be low, especially at the intermediate stations. The main causes for the low ridership are the premium express fare charged to passengers compared to riders on the Blue Line and Metro Rapid (up to $1 more each way than a trip made on the Rapid or Blue Line), the isolated and noisy freeway environment of the stations, and the inconvenience of accessing the stations (and lack of surrounding buses) around the stations compared to surface level light rail or Rapid service. In addition, frequency is inconsistent and the time between buses can be up to 30 minutes during the middle of the day.

Metro includes the Transitway in a bronze color in rail system maps, however, the line is not officially called the Metro Bronze Line. [1] All services Metro operates on the Harbor Transitway are sometimes referred to as Line 903, this allows the transitway running portions to be placed on one timetable since most buses serve all stations. This line designation is rarely used by residents, and also does not appear on signs. It was formerly known as Line 940 until Metro Rapid EXPRESS 940 came to existence.

Buses originate from West Hollywood and Downtown Los Angeles, with final destinations in Anaheim, Fullerton, Gardena, Huntington Beach, San Pedro, Rancho Palos Verdes, and Torrance.

[edit] List of Stations, from North to South

Station Harbor Transitway Services Connections Postmile[2] Notes
7th St/Metro Center Metro Express: 444, 445, 446, 447, 450X, 460
LADOT Commuter Express: 438, 448
Orange County Transportation Authority: 701, 721
Red Line  Purple Line  Blue Line
Metro Rapid: 714, 720, 760, 770
Foothill Transit: Silver Streak

Metro Local: 14, 16, 18, 20, 26, 37, 51, 52, 60, 62, 66, 70, 71, 76, 78, 79, 81, 316, 352, 366, 376, 378, 381
Metro Express: 439, 484, 485, 487, 489, 490
Antelope Valley Transit Authority: 785
City of Santa Clarita Transit: 799
Foothill Transit: 481, 493, 494, 497, 498, 499, 699
LADOT Commuter Express: 409, 422, 423, 430, 431, 437, 534
LADOT DASH: A, B, C, (DD Weekends Only), E, F
Montebello Bus Lines: 40, 50, 341, 342, 343
Santa Monica Big Blue Bus: 10
Torrance Transit: 1, 2

Street running section.
Pico-Chick Hearn Metro Express: 444, 445, 446, 447, 460
LADOT Commuter Express: 438, 448
Orange County Transportation Authority: 701, 721
Blue Line

Metro Local: 30, 31, 81, 330, 381
Metro Express: 439
LADOT DASH: DD (Weekends Only), F
LADOT Commuter Express: 419, 422, 423
Street running section.
Adams Boulevard LA 20.71 Northern terminus of the Harbor Transitway. Northbound exit.
Flower Street LA 20.70 Southbound entrance.
37th Street Station Metro Express: 444, 445, 446, 447
LADOT Commuter Express: 438, 448
Orange County Transportation Authority: 701, 721
Metro Local: 81, 381
Metro Express: 550
USC Shuttle
LA 19.93
39th Street LA 19.68 Northbound exit and southbound entrance.
Slauson Station Metro Express: 442,444, 445, 446, 447, 460, 550
LADOT Commuter Express: 438, 448
Orange County Transportation Authority: 701, 721
Gardena Bus Lines: 1
Torrance Transit: 1, 2
Metro Rapid: 745

Metro Local: 45, 81, 108, 358, 381
LADOT DASH: Chesterfield Square
LA 17.98
Manchester Station Metro Express: 444, 445, 446, 447, 460, 550
LADOT Commuter Express: 438, 448
Orange County Transportation Authority: 701, 721
Gardena Bus Lines: 1
Torrance Transit: 1, 2
Metro Rapid: 745

Metro Local: 45, 81, 115, 305, 315, 381
LA 15.99
Interstate 105 LA 13.8 Southbound exit to and northbound entrance from I-105 HOV lanes.
Harbor Freeway/I-105 Station Metro Express: 444, 445, 446, 447, 450X, 550
LADOT Commuter Express: 448
Orange County Transportation Authority: 721
Gardena Bus Lines: 1 (Northbound)
Green Line
Metro Rapid: 745

Metro Local: 45, 81, 120, 214, 381
Torrance Transit: 1, 2
Gardena Bus Lines: 1 (Southbound)
LA 13.8
Rosecrans Station Metro Express: 444, 445, 446, 447, 550 Metro Local: 125 LA 11.89
Artesia Transit Center Metro Express: 444, 445, 446, 447, 450X, 550 Metro Local: 52, 130, 205, 214, 352
Torrance Transit: 1, 6
Carson Circuit: North / South Shuttle
LA 9.66 Southern terminus of the Harbor Transitway.
Carson Station Metro Express: 445 Metro Local: 205
Metro Express: 550
Torrance Transit: 1, 3
Carson Circuit: F, S
LA 7.02 Station on right-hand side of freeway on a dedicated lane.
Pacific Coast Highway Station Metro Express: 445 Metro Local: 205, 232
Metro Express: 550
LADOT Commuter Express: 448
Torrance Transit: 7
LA 4.08 Station on right-hand side of freeway on a dedicated lane.

[edit] Future Expansion

As the Transitway reaches downtown Los Angeles and exits the Harbor Freeway, ramps are built to take buses and cars to Adams Boulevard and Flower Street. These ramps were intentionally "overbuilt" as the elevated transitway/HOV lane was originally meant to be extended, and was originally intended in some way, to meet the El Monte Busway, possibly somewhere near Union Station.

No plans have yet been discussed for extending the Harbor Freeway HOV lane terminus.

[edit] References

  1. ^ [1] (PDF)
  2. ^ January 1, 2006 California Log of Bridges on State Highways