As the Expo Line's first phase between downtown Los Angeles and Culver City gets closer to completion (despite it being over-budget and delayed), the building authority's board is set to vote on the second phase, which would connect the line from Culver City to Santa Monica, this Thursday afternoon. If they side with project staff's recommendation, as expected, they will approve a route known as LRT Alternative 2, which would go from Culver City towards the beach via a right of way until connecting with Colorado Boulevard in Santa Monica until 4th Street (it's the more northerly dashed line on the above image).
The meeting, however, is expected to be a heated one. A group of noisy Cheviot Hills residents are trying to derail the project, asking for it to go underground at Sepulveda. That move would be costly, likely killing the project.
The recommended route is the "best performing alternative when cost and efficiency are added to the environmental characteristics," the final environmental impact report's executive summary states(.pdf). "It would provide high ridership, a competitive travel time, less community disruption, and the least relocation of residents, with the most cost effective price."
