HOLLYWOOD : Cost of Subway Changes Estimated at $150 Million

Modifying subway construction methods to minimize disruption to Hollywood Boulevard could add as much as $150 million to the cost of the district’s four stations, the Rail Construction Corp. has estimated.

The modification would involve constructing four Hollywood subway stations--along Hollywood Boulevard at Highland Avenue, Vine Street and Western Avenue, and one at Sunset Boulevard and Vermont Avenue--in artificial caverns rather than in huge holes dug in the street.

Although a consultant said that such “mined” stations would be too costly and technically tricky, the RCC board voted this week to investigate further the benefits of that method.

Traditional “cut-and-cover” construction--in which a 200-foot-long, 60-foot-wide trench is dug in a street, then temporarily covered with wood planks--has been criticized by downtown and Mid-Wilshire merchants. They said it ties up traffic and discourages customers.