By 2026, the second phase of Metro's Purple Line extension will bring subway service to a new stop just east of Rodeo Drive. But when it arrives, passengers will probably not be able to exit onto the north side of Wilshire Boulevard.

At its meeting on May 7, the Beverly Hills City Council voted to discontinue plans to build a second entrance to the new subway station at the northwest corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Beverly Drive, adjacent to the Wilshire Beverly Center office complex. Passengers will instead have to access the underground station platform through the under-construction south portal at Wilshire and Reeves Drive.

Purple Line extensionMetro

Plans for the north portal have been in doubt since last year, when it was revealed that the cost for the project had swelled to more than $134 million - 70 percent above the original budget for the project. Staff cited increased labor and material costs as the primary cause of inflated price tag.

Under a settlement agreement approved in 2022, the city and Metro were to split the cost of what was then a $78.5 million project, with any additional costs to be negotiated between the two entities. However, a city staff report indicates that Metro is unlikely to agree to provide any additional funding for the north portal due to cost overruns on the Purple Line extension. Likewise, the city has balked at covering the increased cost of the north portal on its own.

Rendering of Wilshire/Rodeo Station entrance at Wilshire and ReevesMetro

The settlement agreement between Metro and the city requires that the two parties meet and confer with regards to the future of the north portal project. Should Metro act as expected and decline to cover the increased cost of the tunnel, the city would reallocate funding for the north portal toward other transportation improvements such as first/last mile infrastructure that would help improve access from the Wilshire and Reeves portal to the north side of the street.

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