By Lookout Staff

May 6, 2011-- Get ready for the train! Now that Phase 1 of the Expo Line between Downtown Los Angeles and Culver City is near completion, it’s time to talk about construction that will bring the light-rail project all the way to Santa Monica.

The design process for Phase 2 will kick off with two workshop-style public meetings:

• Monday, May 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the East Wing Meeting Room of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium

• Wednesday, May 11 at 6:30 p.m. in the Gymnasium at the Vista Del Mar Family Services campus located at 3200 Motor Avenue in Los Angeles.

Free parking will be available for both meetings.

Presented by the Exposition Construction Authority, participants will get to meet and talk with representatives of Skanska/Rados, the joint-venture team chosen to design and build the project.

The meetings will begin with a half-hour presentation followed by one-hour “breakout sessions” in which members of the public will get a chance to share their ideas and concerns with the project’s designers.

Station elements, neighborhood integration and mitigation measures – as well as the design process and timeline – are some of the subjects that will be discussed.

The information presented at both meetings will be identical. Stakeholders including organizations and public agencies as well as individual members of the public are invited to attend either meeting.

The route for Phase 2 will begin where Phase 1 ends at Venice and Robertson boulevards. From there, the train will continue west, stopping at National and Palms boulevards, then jogging over to the north side of the 10 freeway.

The train will then travel along Exposition Boulevard, stopping at Westwood, Sepulveda and Bundy boulevards before entering Santa Monica.

The first stop in Santa Monica will be at 26th Street and Olympic Boulevard. From there, the train will jog over to Colorado Avenue and stop at 17th Street before reaching its terminus at 4th Street in Downtown.

Construction for Phase 2 is expected to be completed by early 2015 and is estimated will cost $1.5 billion.

For information visit www.BuildExpo.org