NORTH HOLLYWOOD : Sinking Forces Halt in Subway Tunneling

Tunneling for the first subway link to the San Fernando Valley was temporarily halted Monday after the ground above the excavation sank half an inch, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

“The situation is not serious at all. We are just being extra cautious in light of the Hollywood Boulevard problem,” said MTA spokeswoman Andrea Greene, referring to the MTA construction debacle last July when Hollywood Boulevard sank a foot because of Metro Rail tunneling. “We want to make darn sure this doesn’t happen anywhere else.”

Contractors have completed 50 feet of the easterly tunnel for the third segment of the Metro Red Line, which will eventually link the Valley with Downtown Los Angeles. The digging began Feb. 13 under Lankershim Boulevard near Weddington Street and is expected to be completed by July, 2000.