Metro Response To Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent

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WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT

Contract No. PS-4350-2000
Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent

Westside Subway Extension Project
Prepared for:
Prepared by:
777 South Figueroa Street Suite 1100 Los Angeles, California 90017
April 4, 2012
Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent Table of Contents
Table of Contents
EXECUTIVESUMMARY......................................................................................................................E1 1.0 2.0 INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................11 ACTIVEFAULTING.................................................................................................................21 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 3.0 FaultLocations.................................................................................................................21 PossibilityofFolding........................................................................................................23 OffsetofHoloceneSediments.........................................................................................23 InterpretationofLateralDiscontinuities.........................................................................24 ExplorationofaCentral(station)AlternativeonSantaMonicaBoulevard....................24 LocationoftheWesternmosttraceoftheWBHL ...........................................................26 . SummaryActiveFaulting..............................................................................................26
RISKASSESSMENT................................................................................................................31 3.1 3.2 3.3 SelectionofStationSites.................................................................................................32 AssessmentandMitigationofRisksforTunnelingBelowBHHS.....................................33 Summary..........................................................................................................................34
4.0
SAFETYOFTUNNELING.........................................................................................................41 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 4.10 4.11 ControlofGroundMovementsDuringTunneling...........................................................41 MetroGoldLineEastsideExtensionDataanditsApplicabilitytoCenturyCity..............42 SoilConditionsinCenturyCity,BeverlyHillsandEastLosAngeles(GoldLine)..............43 SurfaceSettlements.........................................................................................................43 DifferentialSettlementsAlongtheTunnelAxis...............................................................44 ConsolidationSettlements...............................................................................................45 ProtectionofUtilities.......................................................................................................45 ConditionSurveysandMonitoringofStructures............................................................46 ProceduresforAssessingandControllingGroundMovements......................................46 TunnelingThroughFaults................................................................................................47 TunnelSchedule...............................................................................................................47
5.0
GASCONDITIONSATCONSTELLATIONSTATIONOPTION......................................................51 5.1 5.2 StationinSanPedroFormation.......................................................................................52 PotentialforGasReleasetotheSurface.........................................................................52
6.0
OILWELLHAZARDS...............................................................................................................61 WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT
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Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent Table of Contents
7.0 8.0 9.0
FUTUREDEVELOPMENT........................................................................................................71 CONCLUSIONS......................................................................................................................81 REFERENCES.........................................................................................................................91

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Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent Executive Summary
Executive Summary
ThisreportrespondstotheHazardAssessmentStudy,WestsideSubwayExtensionProjectCenturyCityArea (February7,2012),whichwaspreparedbyExponentFailureAnalysisAssociates(Exponent).Exponents opinionsarebasedonitsreviewoftworeportspreparedbyMetro:TheCenturyCityTunnelingSafetyReport andtheCenturyCityAreaFaultInvestigationReport(TunnelingSafetyandFaultInvestigationReports, respectively),whichwereissuedonOctober19,2011,inresponsetoarequestbyMayorBruckeroftheCityof BeverlyHills. MetroreconfirmsthefollowingconclusionsprovidedinthetworeportsandinitsTunnelAdvisoryPanel (TAP)ReportissuedonOctober19,2011:
Becauseofknownactivefaulting,stationsitesalongSantaMonicaBoulevardareunacceptablefora subwaystation. ThereisnoactivefaultingattheConstellationStationsiteandthelocationissuitableforastation. TunnelingcanbesafelyaccomplishedalongtheConstellationalignmentandunderBeverlyHillsHigh Schoolandadjacentproperties.
MetrodisagreeswithExponentsopinionsandfindsseriousflawsintheconclusionsdrawnfromits investigativeapproach.Inanumberofcases,Exponentdoesnotacknowledgeorisunawareofinformation andanalysesthatMetroconducted.Moreover,Exponentsopinionsfrequentlyreflectalackoffamiliaritywith andexpertiseinundergroundconstructionandfaultinvestigation,andareunsupportedbyfacts. MetrorespondsindetailtoExponentsopinionsinthisreport.ThesalientfeaturesofMetrosresponseare summarizedundertheheadingsthatfollow.Atableattheendofthissectionprovidesabriefsummaryof ExponentscommentsandMetrosresponses. RiskManagement TheExponentreportstatesthatitsoverarchingopinionisthatneither[FaultInvestigationorTunneling Safety]reportdemonstratesthepresentedfindingsasbasedonrigorousriskassessment(s)onthese subjects.Specifically,noattemptismadetoquantifyorevenqualitativelyassessthepotentialrisksfrom thesescenarios.Noquantitativeorqualitativeriskassessmentshavebeenpresentedtoeithera) estimatethelikelihoodofsucheventsorb)characterizethepotentialseverityofsucheventstothe public. MetrodisagreeswithExponentsopinion.TheprobabilitybasedriskanalysisthatExponentsuggestsisnot standardpracticeformajorcivilengineeringprojectsexceptforhighhazardnuclearpowerplants.Instead, RisksareaccountedforexplicitlyinMetrosdesignapproach.Itisnotpossibletoensurelifesafetyfora subwaystationinanactivefaultzone.Accordingly,anystationonSantaMonicaBoulevardhasunmanageable risks.However,theConstellationstationisnotsitedonanactivefault,andotherriskssuchasgasrisks,canbe mitigatedeffectively.Metrosriskmanagementapproachusesengineeringsolutionstomitigatetherisks relatedtotunnelsafety,ratherthanestimatingprobabilitiesassociatedwithidentifiedrisks. Inallwork,Metrodevelopssolutionstomitigateriskstolevelsthatareaslowasreasonablypracticable throughtheuseofscientificandengineeringjudgmentsbasedonwidespreadexperience.Moreover, extensiveexperienceinLosAngelesandothercitiesshowthatthisriskmanagementprocessresultsinsafe andeffectiveconstruction.Fundamentaltothisapproachisthatengineeringtomitigaterisksisconductedby multidisciplinaryteamsofexpertswhosedesignsandrecommendationsarereviewedbyindependent,expert WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT
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panels.Suchanapproachconformstoacceptedbestpracticesoftheundergroundconstructionindustryand embodiesthesuccessfulriskmanagementproceduresusedonmajorcivilworks,includingtransitprojects, throughouttheU.S.andmanypartsoftheworld. ActiveFaultingattheSantaMonicaBoulevardStationSite ExponentstatesthatadditionalsubsurfaceexplorationparalleltoSantaMonicaBoulevard[should]be performedtoevaluateapotentialcentralalternativeforthestationlocationbetweenthetwoSantaMonica stationsites. Withrespecttoapotentialcentralalternative,Exponentappearsnottohaveconsideredthe likelihoodofsignificanttectonicdisturbancewithinthestructurallycomplexzoneoftheintersectionof thenorthernNewportInglewoodandtheSantaMonicafaultzoneswithinthisarea.Thesefaultzones arenotsinglefaultstrands(faultlinesonamap)butratherarebroad,complexzonesoffaultingwith manypotentiallyactivestrands.Whensuchlargefaultsconvergewithoneanother,theydonot convergeatasinglepoint.Rather,theyblendintooneanotheroverastructurallycomplexzoneof distributeddeformationthatmaybehundredsoffeetwide.Thus,itisnotbepossibletoidentifyall potentialseismicthreatswithinthecomplicatedzoneofintersectionbetweentheSantaMonicaand northernNewportInglewoodfaultzones. Thegeomorphicexpressionofascarp(shortforescarpmentorbluff)associatedwithactivefaulting alongtheSantaMonicafaultzonedoesnotextendeastoftheWestBeverlyHillsLineament(WBHL),a northwesttrendingtopographicrise(bluff)presentalongthewesternboundaryofBeverlyHills.Rather, theeasternmostpartofthescarpdivergesfromSantaMonicaBoulevard,assumesamorenortheasterly trendthroughtheLosAngelesCountryClub,andmergeswiththenorthernpartoftheWBHLabout milenorthofSantaMonicaBoulevard.However,thissectionofthescarpwithinthecountryclub appearstohavebeenerodedbyasouthwestwardflowingdrainageemanatingfromtheBenedict Canyondrainagetotheeast,whichmayalsobeinfluencedbytheWBHL.Thus,althoughthescarp providesanorthernmostpossiblelocationforthemaintraceofthenorthdippingSantaMonicafault zoneinthecountryclubarea,thesurfacetracesofthemain,activestrandsofthefaultzoneresponsible forinitiallygeneratingthescarpmayliesomewhattothesoutheastofthesurfacescarp,andcloserto, orevencoincidentwith,SantaMonicaBoulevard. ExponentsuggestedthattrenchingalongSantaMonicaBoulevardcouldresolvethisissue.Trenching, however,isnotafeasibleapproachbecauseconstructionandtheinstallationofsubsurfaceinfrastructure alongSantaMonicaBoulevardhavedestroyedthestratigraphyduetoconstructionexcavationsneededto identifythelocationanddegreeofactivityoffaulting.Whiletrenchingisoftenusedasameanstoexamine faulting,itisoftenextremelydifficulttoexcavatecontinuoustrenchesandobtainmeaningfuldatato characterizeactivefaultsinurbanenvironments.Althoughaccessforcontinuoustrenchingmaybepossibleat individualpropertiesandbuildingsites,Metrostructuresarelongandlinearandcompleteaccessforsucha longtrenchprecludestrenchingintheseareasparticularlywhenlocatedinthestreet(andcrossstreets) containingutilitiessuchastheBenedictCanyonstormdraininMorenoDrive.Accordingly,itisnotpossibleto continuouslytrenchtoobtainpositiveevidencethatactivefaultstrandsarenotpresent.Anoncontinuous trenchwillnotresolvetheuncertaintiesbutwilllikelyadduncertainties. ConstellationStationSite Areviewofalltopographic,stratigraphic,andgeophysicaldataconfirmsthereisnoactivefaultingatthe Constellationsite.InmarkedcontrasttothetopographicallyobviousSantaMonicaandnorthern WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT
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NewportInglewood(WBHL)faultscarps,theabsenceoftopographicindicationofactivefaultingatthe ConstellationStationprovidesverystrongevidencethatthissiteisclearofactivefaults. Withrespecttosubsurfacegashazards,Exponentstatedthefollowing:thealternativeConstellation Boulevardstation,whilegenerallyinamorefavorablelocationwithregardstofaultingissues,isinstead facedwithpotentialmethanegashazardsthatcouldrepresentatleastasgreatahazardtothepublicas thefaultinghazardsassociatedwiththeSantaMonicaBoulevardstation. Comparisonofgashazardswithsitingastationonanactivefaultisinappropriate.Theriskofan earthquakeandfaultruptureatastationlocationcannotbepracticallymitigatedwhilegashazardscan andaresuccessfullymitigatedforMetrostationsanddeepbasementsthroughoutLosAngeles, includingareaswithmuchhighergasconcentrationsthanattheConstellationsite.Metrosengineering consultantshavedevelopedsystemsformitigatingandpreventinggasinflowsintheproposedstations alongtheWestsideSubwayExtensionProject(WestsideExtension)corridorusingprovendesignsand constructionprocedures. TunnelingSafetyandFutureDevelopment Exponentraisesseveralquestionsrelatedtogeneraltunnelinghazardswithrespecttopotentialfor buildingdamage,tunnelinginfaultzones,tunnelingunderBeverlyHillsHighSchool(BHHS)damageto utilities,andapplicabilityofdatafrompreviousprojectstotheWestsideExtension. Exponentstatesthataccordingtoreports(e.g.,BellConsulting,2004)describingsurfaceeffects duringtunnelingoftheMetroRedlinesubway,settlementsweremuchhigher(2to10inches)than originallypredicted(0.5inches).Exponentthenconcludedthathigherdifferentialsettlementsand cosmeticandevenstructuraldamageshouldbeexpectedfortheCenturyCityConstellationalignment. ExponentsreferencetotunnelingandsettlementontheRedLineisnotrelevanttocurrentMetro tunnelingtechnologyanditsconclusionsregardingsettlementsanddamageatCenturyCityareinvalid. Thetunnelingprojectsitreferencesareoutdatedinthatthetunnelsweredrivenwithopenfacetunnel shieldsthatcouldnoteffectivelycontrolgroundlossandsettlementwhentunnelinginsoilssusceptible torunningorflowing.TheshieldswerelastusedbyMetrointhemid1990sandhavebeenreplacedon Metroprojects(aswellastunnelprojectsworldwide)withtunnelboringmachines(TBM)thatprovide positivesupportofthetunnelface,therebypreventinggroundsettlements. MetrospecifiedthepressurefacemethodfortheEastsideGoldLineproject(MGLEE),andin2006,the tunnelingwassuccessfullyaccomplishedwithsurfacesettlementsof0to0.3inchesandnodamageto structures.Thismethodisbeingappliedsuccessfullyworldwideandisbeingappliedspecificallyfor currentMetrotunnelprojects.ThecapabilitiesdemonstratedontheMGLEEprojectareapplicable directlytotheCenturyCityArea.Oneofthemainadvancesintunnelingtechnologyhasbeenthe developmentofcomprehensiveproceduresforcontrollingTBMoperationsandmonitoring.These methodswillbeconductedduringalltunnelingtoconfirmthatgroundmovementshavebeencontrolled tospecifiedlevels. Thegasketedlininginstalledasthetunnelisadvancedpreventsinflowofwaterandgasintothetunnel, andgroutingaroundthetunnelliningisusedtopreventflowofgasandwateralongthetunnel perimeter.Thepresenceofthetunnelwillnotimpactgasconditionsortheeffectsoffaultingand earthquakeshakingatthesurface. WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT
ExponentclaimsthatfrequentreferenceismadetopreviousfavorableexperienceintheLosAngelesBasin withpressurefacetunnelingmethodsandthatthesereferenceshavelittlemeaningintheabsenceof detaileddatafromtheearlierprojects.MetrodoesnotunderstandhowExponentcancometosucha conclusion.Asisclearlydemonstrated,referencetotheearlierRedLineprojectisnotrelevantbecause technologyhasundergoneprofoundchangessincethattime.Thepressurefacetunnelingmachines,which willbeusedontheWestsideExtension,provedtheirsafetyandeffectivenessontheMGLEEprojectandare beingcontinuouslyimproved. ExponentalsostatedthatfuturedevelopmentatBHHSandatotherpropertiesandresidenceswouldbe impacted.ThetunnelshavebeenestablishedatasufficientdepththatdevelopmentforBHHSorother propertiescanbeaccomplishedabovethetunnels.Foundationscanbebuiltonslabsabovethetunnelsor withfoundationsbetweenthetunnelssothatmajorbridgestructureswithwidespansarenotrequired. Exponentraisesconcernsaboutfragilewatermainsandhasindicatedthatspecialprecautionsareneededto safeguardthelines.SoilmovementsonMGLEEwerecontrolledtosuchlowlevelsthatnodamageinfragile castironwatermainswasreportedthroughouttheentiredistanceoftunneling.Metroisapplyingthesame pressurefacetunnelingtechnologyusedonMGLEE,wheregroundconditionsweresimilartothoseonthe WestsideExtensionandcastironwatermainsofsimilarageandsizewereprotectedfromdamage.Clearly, theuseofproventunnelingmethods,consistentwiththebestcurrenttechnology,ishighlyrelevantforthe proposedconstructionintheCenturyCityarea,andinfact,isoneofthemosteffectivewaystoreducerisk. InresponsetoExponentsconcernsaboutlifecycleanalyses,lifecyclecostswereaddressedintheevaluation ofalternativeswithrespecttobothcapitalandoperationsandmaintenancecosts.Lifecyclecostswithinthe broaderspectrumofenvironmentalandeconomicaspectsoftheselectionprocessaresystematically addressedthroughoutallphasesoftheprojecttocomplywithFederalTransitAdministration(FTA) requirementsandareincludedinMetrosanalyses. Summary of Exponent Comments and Metro Response
Exponent Page No. ii,2,17 Metro Disagrees
Exponent Comment Presentedfindingswerenotbasedonrigorous riskassessment(s).Specifically,noattemptis madetoquantifyorevenqualitativelyassessthe potentialrisks...
Metro Response RisksareaccountedforexplicitlyinMetrosdesignapproach.Metros riskmanagementusesengineeringsolutionstomitigatethe undergroundconstructionrisks,ratherthanestimatingprobabilities associatedwithpotentialfutureevents.
ii,17
...ConstellationBoulevardstation,while generallyinamorefavorablelocationwith regardstofaultingissues,isinsteadfacedwith potentialmethanegashazards ...additionalinvestigation[that]couldbe performedtovetthepotentialcentral alternativeinclude:[Trenchingandadditional borings](paraphrased)
ThegashazardsatConstellationarelowerthanthoseontheexisting RedLineandthereforeMetrohasdemonstratedtheycanbemitigated
Exponentappearsnottohaveconsideredthelikelihoodof significanttectonicdisturbancewithinthestructurallycomplexzone ofintersectionofthenorthernNewportInglewoodandSanta Monicafaultzoneswithinthisarea.Thesefaultzonesarebroad, complexzonesoffaultingwithmanypotentiallyactivestrands. Thus,itisnotbepossibletoidentifyallpotentialseismicthreats withinthecomplicatedzoneofintersectionbetweenthetwoSanta MonicaStationsites.

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Exponent Page No. 10
Exponent Comment accordingtoreportsdescribingsurface effectsduringthetunnelingoftheMetroRed Linesubway(BellConsulting,20042),settlements weremuchhigherthanoriginallypredicted
Metro Disagrees
Metro Response ExponentsreferencetotunnelingandsettlementontheRedLineisnot relevanttocurrentMetrotunnelingtechnologyanditsconclusions regardingsettlementsanddamageatCenturyCityareinvalid.TheRed Linewastunneledwithopenfaceshieldssusceptibletolargesettlement whichhavebeenreplacedonallMetroprojectswithtunnelboring machinesthatprovidepositivesupportofthetunnelface,thereby preventinggroundsettlements. Noevidenceoffaultingisdemonstratedthroughthereviewofthree datasets:Soilborings,geophysicaldataandthetopography.Exponent onlyconsideredthesoilboringdataset.
6,7,8,12 WithrespecttoMetrosevaluationofno evidenceoffaultingonConstellationsite: Thepreciselocationsoftheinferred faultsareinsomeplacesnottightly constrained. ..thefaultsmaynotoffsetHolocene sediments,(paraphrased)...Lateral discontinuitiesinQuaternarystratamay beunrelatedtofaulting," (paraphrased) .ThewesternmosttraceoftheWBHL mayunderlietheConstellationstation location."(paraphrased) 10 earlierprojects(GoldLinetunnel)wereusedas examplesoftunnelingsuccess,butnodatawas providedfortheirreview ...thegeologicalconditionsthatwouldbe encounteredattunnelingdepthbeneathBHHS woulddiffer,perhapssignificantly ...Itisalsoimportanttonotethatsettlement calculationsdescribedintheSafetyReportdo notappeartoconsiderconsolidation settlementsduetogroundwaterloss. ...older,fragilewaterlinescouldbedamagedby tunnels"(paraphrase)
DatawasnotonlycitedintheTunnelingSafetyReport,butalsowas readilyavailableinpublishedliteratureabouttheGoldLine,aswellasin publicationswellknowninthetunnelingindustry. SoilconditionsatBHHSaresimilartothoseencounteredontheGoldline tunnelandwellsuitedforpressurizedfacetunnelingmethodsthat controlgroundmovementstosmallvalues. AsdescribedintheTunnelingSafetyandTAPreports,pressureface TunnelBoringMachinesoperatewithoutloweringthegroundwaterand consolidationisnotanissue.Itthereforeshouldnotbe,andwasnot includedinthesettlementcalculations. Utilitiesandstructuresabovethetunnelareevaluatedduringthedesign process.Pressurefacetunnelingminimizessettlementtothelevelsthat utilitydamagedoesnotoccur.SimilarageutilitiesexistovertheMetro GoldLinetunnelsandwerenotdamaged. TheTAPreport,didaddresstheevaluationandmonitoringofstructures andutilities,whichisaMetro(andindustry)standard,andemphasized thatmonitoringwillbeconductedpriortoreachingstructurestoconfirm thatmovementsarewithinspecifiedlevels. Thepressurefacetunnelingmethodwillcontrolgroundmovements insoilsofvariablestrength,includingthefractureplanesandshear zonesinafaultedsoilmasswithoutcausingdifferentialsettlements.
11
10
11,12
15
...TheSafetyreportdoesnotaddressanyplans forreconnaissanceormonitoringofstructures orutilitylinesbeforeorduringtunneling operations. Thesubverticalfaultsunderlyingthecampus, presumingtheyexist,representdiscontinuitiesin thesoilmass.Surfacedeformationswilllikelybe concentratedabovethesefaultsduringdrilling (sic)asaresultofdifferentialsettlements.
11

Exponent Page No. 3,15,18 Metro Disagrees
Exponent Comment ...lackedalifecycleanalysistoallowa considerationofthesafetyriskmanagement issuesoftheprojectwithinthebroader spectrumofenvironmentalandeconomic aspectsoftheselectionprocess... ...ExponentquestionedplacementoftheSanta MonicaConstellationStationwithintheSan Pedroformation[thathadhighgaslevelsin midCity]
Metro Response Lifecyclecostsaresystematicallyaddressedwithrespecttobothcapital andoperationsandmaintenancecosts.Lifecyclecosts.
8,9
MetrohasconstructedtunnelsandstationsinontheRedLinein areaswithhighergasmeasurementsthanthoseintheCenturyCity area,andhasdevelopeddesignsfortheWestsidestationsto controlgasandpreventinflowintothestation.Inaddition,deep excavationsforundergroundparkingintheCenturyCity ConstellationStationareahavebeenoperatingsafelyformorethan 40years. Overthepast25+years,theCitiesofLosAngelesandBeverlyHills havedevelopedmethodstomeasuregases,designfortheir presence,andmonitorforcontrol.Metrohasalsodemonstrated designsandoperatingsystemsfortheseconditions.
13
...dangerouslevelsofmethanegasmay accumulateunderbuildingfoundationsor developedareasonthesurface(Hamiltonand Meehan,1992)."
iii,13,14,17, ...probinginadvanceofthetunnelboring 18 machineisneededtolocatethepresenceor confirmtheabsenceofoilwellcasings 15 ...futuredevelopmentatBHHSandother propertieswouldbeexpectedtobeimpacted.
MetroagreesandmadethisrecommendationinitsTunnelingSafety Report.
Foundationscanbebuiltonslabsabovethetunnelorwith foundationsbetweenthetunnelssothatmajorbridgestructures withwidespansarenotrequired. TheHighSchoolandotherpropertiesforwhichsubsurfaceeasements willbeobtainedaredocumentedintheEnvironmentalReport.Any futureprojecttobedevelopedadjacenttoMetrorightofwaywillneed Metroapprovalpriortoconstruction.Thisdoesnotpreclude development.

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Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 1.0 - Introduction
1.0
INTRODUCTION
ThisreportprovidesMetrosresponsetotheissuesraisedintheHazardAssessmentStudy,Westside SubwayExtensionProjectCenturyCityAreareport,whichwaspreparedbyExponentFailureAnalysis AssociatesonFebruary7,2012(hereafterreferredtoastheExponentReport). TheprojectisfollowingthecomprehensiveNationalEnvironmentalPolicyAct/CaliforniaEnvironmental QualityAct(NEPA/CEQA)processaswellastheFederalTransitAdministrations(FTA)requirementsfor projectsenteringitsNewStartsprogram.Thisrequiresevaluationofcost,risks,andbenefitsofall alternativeswithtechnicalreportsbyexpertsintheirfieldstosupportthestudies. Inadditiontotheseindepthstudies,theMetrosWestsideSubwayExtensionProjectteamresponded tospecificquestionsraisedbytheMetroBoardofDirectorsinOctober2010onthesafetyoftunneling inCenturyCity.ReponsestotheMetroBoardwereaddressedinthetworeportsreviewedbyExponent: TheCenturyCityTunnelingSafetyReportandTheCenturyCityAreaFaultInvestigationReport (TunnelingSafetyReportandFaultInvestigationReport,respectively).Inaddition,theindependent TunnelAdvisoryPanel(TAP)preparedasummaryreportaddressingbothfaultandtunnelsafetyissues. Allthereportswerepreparedandreviewedbyinternationallyrecognizedexperts. MetroreconfirmsthefollowingconclusionspresentedintheTunnelingSafety,TAPandFault InvestigationReports:

theCenturyCityConstellationStationsiteandtunneledapproachesaresafe;and theproposedCenturyCitySantaMonicaBoulevardStationisnotviablebecauseofactivefaulting presentinthearea.
Thisreportprovides1)anelaborationonthefaultstudiestofurtherclarifyExponentsquestionsabout faultinterpretation;2)asummaryofMetrosapproachtoevaluationoftunnelingsafety;withdetailed responsestoExponentsquestions/commentsonassessmentofrisks,tunnelingmethodsandground responseandtunnelingbeneathstructures,includingthosepertainingtotunnelingingassyground.

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Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 1.0 Introduction
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Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 2.0 - Active Faulting
2.0
ACTIVE FAULTING
ThedeterminationofactivefaultingalongtheSantaMonicaBoulevardalignmentoptionisforemostin MetrosrecommendationtopursuetheCenturyCityConstellationStation(ConstellationStation). Subwaystationsnoranyotherpublicfacilityforhumanoccupancycannotbelocatedonanactivefault. Metrosseismicdesigncriteria(describedinSection3.1)requirelifesafetyperformanceofstructures, whichcannotbemetforanundergroundstationdesignandMaximumDesignEarthquake(MDE)fault offset.WithrespecttofaultingintheCenturyCityarea,ExponentsevaluationoftheFaultInvestigation Reportcontainsanumberoflimitations,whichmaybedueinlargepartbecauseExponentdidnotfully reviewthepaleoseismicinvestigations,includingMetrosuseofmultidisciplinarydatasetstoidentify andcharacterizeactivefaults.Specifically,Exponentfocusedalmostentirelyontheboreholeandcone penetrationtest(CPT)results,withoutconsideringthegeomorphic(landscape)featuresandtheseismic reflectionprofiles.Moreover,thestatementbyExponentthatthechoicebetweenthetwostations [oneonSantaMonicaBoulevardandtheotheronConstellation]ismorelikelytobemadeonthebasis ofriskperceptionratherthanriskquantificationiswithoutmerit. AquantitativeriskassessmentforastationonSantaMonicaBoulevard(includingExponents proposedcentralalternative)isunwarranted,becauseanyofthealternativestationlocationson SantaMonicaBoulevardwouldbewithineitheroftheactiveSantaMonicaorNewportInglewood (NI)/WestBeverlyHillsLineament(WBHL)faultzonesorbothzones[becausestationscannotbebuilt withinactivefaultzones,thereisnoneedforadetailedriskanalysiscomparingthetwostation alternatives].Incontrast,thereisnoevidenceforactivefaultingneartheConstellationStationoption. Therefore,thesubjectofriskbaseddecisionsonthealignmentselectionisdiscussedinSection3.0. Exponentraisedspecificissues,andseveralareintimatelylinked;however,forclarity,eachisaddressed below.
2.1
Fault Locations
TheExponentReportstatedinSection3.2that,Thepreciselocationsofthefaultsareinsomeplaces nottightlyconstrained,suggestingthatMetrosdataarelimitedbecauseoftheboringandCPTspacing andthusisnotsufficient. Thepreciselocationsofmanyofthefaultsidentifiedarenotwellconstrainedsinceitwasnotthe purposeofthefaultinvestigationtodoso.Thepurposeofthefaultinvestigationwastodetermine whetherthestationalternativelocationswouldbeinzonesofsurfacerupturehazardnottodetermine preciselocationsoffaults.ThefaultinvestigationconcludedthatevidenceofactivefaultingattheSanta MonicaStationlocationsexists,andHolocenefaultactivitycannotbeprecludedfromanyofthose locations.ThisconclusionwasdemonstratedthroughthecombinedevaluationofboreholeandCPT data,analysisofthetopography,interpretationoftheseismicreflectionprofilesandrelationshipto demonstratedHolocenefaulting. Thereisnoevidenceforthepresenceofrecentactivityofawesternmosthypothesizedstrandofthe WBHLneartheConstellationStationlocation,although,inthiscase,itisnotrelevantbecauseother observationsincludingtopographyandstratigraphicmarkersinbedrockunitsshownoindicationoflate PleistoceneorHoloceneactivity.Analysisofhistoricphotographyinthisareashowsnoindicationthat

faultinghascauseddisruptionofthesurfacetopography.TheageofthestrataatConstellationStationis notwellconstrained,butitislikelygreaterthan100,000to200,000yearsold. ItisthegeomorphicexpressionofsurfacetopographyuponwhichtheactiveNewportInglewoodfault zonewasextendednorthwesttoincludetheWBHL(asoriginallydocumentedbyDolanandSieh,1992), anditisalsothesurfacetopographythatdelineatesthelocationanddegreeofactivityofactivetraces oftheSantaMonicafaultzoneinCenturyCityandtothewest.Inasimilarfashion,theabsenceof tectonicgeomorphicindicatorsofactivefaultinginancientlandscapesalongtheConstellationStation alignmentandcontinuityofstratigraphicmarkerbedsinSanPedroformationMeistocenebedrock precludesthepresenceofactivefaulting.Accordingly,amoredetailedboringandCPTarraywasnot warrantedforthepurposeofselectinganalignment.Thispointisexplainedinmoredetailbelow. ItappearsthatExponentsevaluationofthedatafocusedentirelyontheboreholeandCPTresults. Thesedata,whilevaluableintermsoflocatingthenearsurfacetracesandgeometriesofthesefaults, representonlypartofthemultidisciplinarydatasetthatwasbroughttobearonthefaultactivity evaluation.Forexample,MetrosFaultInvestigationReportwascarefultopointoutthatintheCentury City/WestBeverlyHillsarea,aprimarymeansbywhichtodeterminethelocationsofactivefaultingis throughanalysisofthelandscape.Asnoted,whenfaultsrupturetothesurfaceresultinginlarge earthquakes,theyleavecharacteristicsignaturesinthelandscape.Thesesignaturescanincludescarps (shortforescarpments),deflectedorcaptureddrainages,andoffsetlandforms.Afirstorderindication ofthelocationofactivefaultingisprovidedbythelandscape. Activefaultsdonotoccurrandomly.Rather,theytypicallyoccurinwelldefinedzones.Thetopographic signaturesoftheSantaMonicaandnorthernNewportInglewoodfaultzonesintheCenturyCity/West BeverlyHillsareaareparticularlywelldefined.TheprominentscarpsassociatedwiththeSantaMonica andnorthernNewportInglewoodfaultzoneswerefirstidentifiedonthebasisofdetailedanalysisofthe topography.Thesescarpsclearlydelineatethegeneraltrendsandlocationsofthesemajoractivefaults. ThenorthsideupscarpassociatedwiththeSantaMonicafaultextendscontinuouslyforapproximately 7milesfromtheLosAngelesCountryClubintheeastacrossCenturyCity,WestLA,andSanta MonicabeforeheadingoffshoreatPacificPalisades,whereitcontinueswestwardalongtheMalibu coastasasubmarinefeature.IntheCenturyCityarea,thisprominentscarpformsthehillalongthe northernedgeofSantaMonicaBoulevardandisparticularlyprominentastheslopinglawnofthe nearbyMormonTemple. Likewise,thetopographicexpressionofthenorthernpartoftheNewportInglewoodfaultsystem (referredtoastheWBHL)isaprominentfeatureofthelandscape.Oneofthemostobvioussurficial expressionsofthisfaultzoneisthelineartopographicupliftedfeaturesthatseparatethelowlying alluvialplainonwhichmostofBeverlyHillsisbuiltfromthehighertopographytothewestofthefault zone. Landscapeanalysisusesgeomorphicanalysestoidentifysignsofactivefaultingandworksintwoways itnotonlyprovidesthemostbasicandcompellingevidenceofthelocationsofactivefaults,butalso shows,bytheabsenceofsuchactivefaultrelatedlandforms,whereactivefaultsarenotpresent.This pointprovidesbasicevidencethatthesiteoftheproposedConstellationStationalternativeisfreeof activefaulting.Nofaultrelatedlandformswereobservedatthesite,eitherinthelandscapeasrevealed bydetailed,1920svintagetopographicmapsortheearliestavailableaerialphotographsfromthelate

1920s.Incontrast,thetopographicevidenceofactivefaultingalongtheSantaMonicaandnorthern NewportInglewoodfaultsystemsisclearlyvisibleonthesevintagephotographsandmaps. ExponentalsodidnotconsidertheimportanceofthethirdmajordatasetintheMetroFault InvestigationReportnamelythemanyseismicreflectionprofilesthatwerecollectedandprocessedfor thiswork.Thismayexplaintheirinterpretationthatsomeofthefaultsthatwereidentifiedcouldbe manifestedinthesubsurfaceasmonoclinalfolds.Notonlydotheseismicreflectiondataprovidethe deeperstructuralcontextfortheboreholeandCPTdata,buttheyalsorevealthedeepergeometryand extentofthefaultedandfoldedstrata.Thisisfurtheraddressedinthenextsection.
2.2
Possibility of Folding
TheExponentReportstatesinSection2.2,point2that,ItispossibletheoffsetsonPlate5(Transect 2/2E)aremonoclinalfolds,offeringthatdatashownontheMetroprofiles(Plate5)couldalsobe interpretedasfoldsratherthanverticalfaultoffsets.AlongthenorthernNewportInglewoodfaultzone, theseismicreflectionprofilesshowthatthereisindeedamonoclinalfoldalongtheeasternedgeofthe WBHL.Thismonoclinelikelyoverliesawestdippingthrustfaultthatwouldprojecttothesurfacein westernBeverlyHillstotheeast.ThisthrustfaultatthebaseoftheWBHLescarpmentisprobably responsibleformostofthetopographicupliftalongtheWBHL.Tothewestofthetopographicscarps, however,thereisevidenceofnofolding,andthestrandsofthenorthernNewportInglewoodfaultzone identifiedintheseismicreflection,borehole,andCPTdataarealmostcertainlysteeplydippingactive strikeslipfaults. Thisdistributionofdifferenttypesoffaultingsteeplydippingstrikeslipfaultsinthemiddleandthrust faults/monoclinalfoldingontheflanksistypicalofthetranspressionalupliftsthatcharacterizethe northernpartoftheNewportInglewoodfaultzonefromLongBeachtoBeverlyHills(e.g.,BaldwinHills, RosecransHills,DominguezHills,SignalHill,andCherryHill).TheWBHLisconsideredintheliteratureto bethenorthernmostoftheseupliftedzones. ThecomplexzoneofnearsurfacedeformationthatcharacterizestheSantaMonicafaulthasbeen studiedindetailattheVAHospitaljustwestofI405,whichislessthan2mileswestofCenturyCity, alongthesamelaterallycontinuousfaultscarp.There,Dolanetal.(2000)documentedthatthescarp formedinresponsetothrustfaultingandmonoclinalfoldingwithinandalongthesouthernedgeofthe topographicscarp.Butwithinandtothenorthofthetopographicscarp,thefaultconsistsofabroad zoneofdistributed,steeplydippingstrikeslipfaults.Thetotalwidthofthefaultzoneisseveralhundred feet.ThecontinuityandsimilarityofthefaultscarpbetweentheVAHospitalandtheCenturyCityarea demonstratesthatdeformationpatternsintheCenturyCityregionshouldbesimilar.
2.3
Offset of Holocene Sediments
TheExponentReportimpliesthat(Section3.2,point3)thatthefaultsmaynotoffsetHolocene sediments,thatis,theagesofsedimentaryunitshavenotbeenwelldefined,andsuggeststhatstatutory restrictionstoconstructionwouldnotnecessarilyapply.TherearelittleornoHolocenesedimentsthat overliethesefaultsintheareasofanyoftheproposedstations.TheHolocenesedimentsaregenerally isolatedintheinciseddrainagesandcanyonsandlowlyingalluvialplain,mostofwhichhavenowbeen disturbed(and/orremoved)bydevelopmentand/oroverlainwithartificialfill.Otherthanlocalized Holocenedeposits,theonlysedimentofHoloceneageintheupliftedareaswouldbetheoriginal surfaceAhorizon,ortopsoil,thatcapsthePleistocenefansurfacesintheregion.Inmanyormostareas WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT
inthebuiltenvironment,thislayerisdisturbedorhasbeenremoved.IftheAhorizonisfaulted,late Holoceneactivityisdemonstrated.However,Ahorizonsreformveryrapidlyandtheabsenceofa faultedAhorizonisnotevidenceagainstHolocenefaulting(seeRockwell,2000,foramorecomplete discussionontheuseofsoilsinfaultstudies).ThiscannotberesolvedwithboreholeandCPTdata alone,andcontinuoustrenchingalongtheentirealignmentofallSantaMonicaBoulevardstation alternativesinanortheastsouthwestdirection(toevaluatetheWBHL)andnorthwestsoutheast direction(toevaluatetheSantaMonicafaultzone)islikelyimpossiblebecauseoftheextensive disruptionofthenativesoilmaterialsalongtheutilityalignmentsoftheutilitylines. BoththeSantaMonicaandHollywoodfaultzoneshavebeenwelldocumentedandproventobe Holoceneactive,withthenorthernpartoftheWBHLformingatearbetweentheeasternendofthe SantaMonicafaultzoneandthewesternendoftheHollywoodfault,therebyaccommodatingmotion oneachfaultindependently.Thus,theWBHLalsomustbeHoloceneactive.Moreover,theWBHLis HoloceneactivebyvirtueofbeingthenorthernextensionoftheHoloceneactiveNewportInglewood faultzone.
2.4
Interpretation of Lateral Discontinuities
TheExponentReport(Section3.2,point4)states,TheWBHLismanifestedatthegroundsurfaceasa boundarybetweentwodisparategeomorphicandsedimentaryenvironments.Asaresult,nontectonic lateraldiscontinuitiesintheQuaternarystratigraphyshouldbeanticipatedtooccuracrossthisfeature. TheExponentimplicationisthatthediscontinuitiesareunrelatedtofaulting,andthusquestions Metrosinterpretationofthesediscontinuities.Althoughtheremaybeotherfeaturessuchasfilled channelsorlateralvariationinstratigraphythatmakecorrelationschallenging,whentherearelaterally continuousanddistinctmarkersoverreasonablylargedistancesthatarethentruncatedabruptly, faultingismostcommonlythereason.Thisisespeciallytruewhereseveralhorizonsatvaryingdepths aretruncatedordisruptedatthesamelocation.Suchpatternsareunlikelytobecausedbyanything otherthanfaultoffsets.Moreover,inmanycases,thelaterallycontinuousfeatureissimplysteppedup ordownacrossthefaultandcontinues.Inthesecases,faultingisalmostalwaysthereasonforthe abruptlateraldiscontinuity.
2.5
Exploration of a Central (station) Alternative on Santa Monica Boulevard
TheExponentReport(Section3.4)statesthat,Additionalsubsurfaceexploration[paralleltoSanta MonicaBoulevard]couldbeperformedtovetapotentialCentralAlternative.Thissuggeststhatthere maybesufficientroomforsuchastationlocationalongSantaMonicaBoulevard.Itsuggeststhatthe observedoffsetofamarkerbedthattransectsthecentralalternativestationlocationasnotcaused byfaulting.However,faultswithintheNewportInglewoodfaultzonearepredominantlystrikeslipand potentiallysignificantfaultoffsetsarenotreadilyapparentalongnearlyhorizontalbeds,particularlyin lateQuaternaryandHolocenesedimentswheretotalaccumulatedhorizontaloffsetscouldbetensto hundredsoffeet.Thereinterpretationisthereforenotnecessarilyvalidanddoesnotprecludefault offset. ExponentsuggestedthattrenchingalongSantaMonicaBoulevardcouldresolvethisissue.SantaMonica Boulevardgivestheappearancethatitisawideopenstreetwithalarge,apparentlyundisturbed medianstrip.Thesuggestedcontinuoustrenching,however,isnotlogisticallyfeasiblebecauseofthe presenceofsubsurfaceinfrastructureandconsequentdestructionofthestratigraphyneededtoidentify faultingaswellasthefactthatthereisnotacontinuousmedianstrip. WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT
Whiletrenchingacrosstheentirewidthofafaultzoneisoftenusedasameanstoexaminefaulting,itis oftenextremelydifficulttoexcavatecontinuoustrenchesandconstructmeaningfuldatainurban environments.Accessforcontinuoustrenchingmaybepossibleatindividualpropertiesandbuilding sites.However,Metrostructuresarelongandlinear,andcompleteaccessforsuchalongtrench, particularlywhenitneedstobelocatedinthestreetandcrossstreetswithutilities,includingthelarge stormdrainunderMorenoDrive,precludessuchtrenchinginthisarea.Accordingly,itisnotpossibleto continuouslytrenchtoobtainpositiveevidenceoftheabsenceofallactivefaultstrands.Oncethe subsurfacegeologyhasbeendisturbedbyutilityorstormdrainexcavations,itbecomesunsuitablefor thekindofanalysisnecessarytoevaluatethelocationsofactivefaults. Therearewellover15separateutilitylinesrunningwithinSantaMonicaBoulevard.Infact,theoriginal boringandCPTlayoutontheeastboundsidehadtobemovedtothewestboundsidebecauseofthe densepresenceofutilities,althoughthenumerousutilitylineswerealsopresentonthewestbound side.Althoughtheboulevardiswideenoughtohavezonesthatmaybefreeofmajorutilities, particularlyinsomeofthemedianstrips(whereonlyirrigationlinesmaybepresentwhichcoulddisrupt Holocenesediments),thereareutilitylinesandstormdrainscrossingperpendicularinSantaMonica Boulevard,notonlyattheintersectionswithSouthMorenoDrive,CenturyParkEast,andAvenueofthe Stars,butatadditionallocationsbetweentheseintersectionsaswell.Atalloftheselocationsthe stratigraphynecessarytoevaluatepotentialfaultinghasbeendestroyed.Thisisimportantbecause unlesstrenchexposuresarecompletelycontinuousacrossthezoneofinterest,theresultswillbe inconclusive.Evengapsasshortasafewfeetcanmissfaults.Metrohascarefullyevaluatedpossible locationsfortrenchingonoracrossSantaMonicaBoulevardandhasnotidentifiedlocationsthatcould provideconclusiveevidenceofthepresenceorabsenceofactivefaultingovertheentirelengthofthe potentialstationsites. Withrespecttoapossiblecentralalternative,Exponentappearsnottohaveconsideredthelikelihood ofsignificantdistributeddeformationwithinthestructurallycomplexzoneofintersectionofthe northernNewportInglewoodandSantaMonicafaultzoneswithinthisarea.Faultzonessuchasthe SantaMonicaandnorthernNewportInglewoodarenotsinglefaultstrands(faultlinesonamap),but ratherarebroad,complexzonesoffaultingwithmanypotentiallyactivestrands.Whensuchlargefaults convergewithoneanother,theydonotconvergeatasinglepoint.Rather,theybleedintoone anotheroverastructurallycomplexzoneofdistributeddeformationthatmaybehundredsoffeetwide. Thus,itwouldnotbepossibletoidentifyallpotentialseismicthreatswithinthecomplicatedzoneof intersectionbetweentheSantaMonicaandnorthernNewportInglewoodfaultzonesforreasons describedinabove. ThescarpassociatedwithactivefaultingalongtheSantaMonicafaultzonedoesnotextendeastofthe WBHL,anorthwesttrendingtopographicrisepresentalongthewesternboundaryofBeverlyHills. Rather,theeasternmostpartofthescarpdivergesfromSantaMonicaBoulevard,assumingamore northeasterlytrendthroughtheLosAngelesCountryClub,andmergeswiththenorthernpartofthe WBHLaboutmilenorthofSantaMonicaBoulevard.However,thissectionofthescarpwithinthe CountryClubappearstohavebeenerodedbackbyasouthwestwardflowingdrainageemanatingfrom theBenedictCanyondrainagetotheeast,whichmayalsobeinfluencedbytheWBHLorSantaMonica faultzone.Thus,althoughthescarpprovidesarobustnorthernmostpossiblelocationforthemaintrace ofthenorthdippingSantaMonicafaultzoneintheCountryClubarea,thesurfacetraceofthemain, activestrandsofthefaultzoneresponsibleforinitiallygeneratingthescarpmayliesomewhattothe southeastofthesurfacescarp,andcloserto,orevencoincidentwith,SantaMonicaBoulevardeastof WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT
AvenueoftheStars.IfthemaintraceoftheSantaMonicafaultweretocontinueeastward,coincident withSantaMonicaBoulevardintheareaoftheCentralAlternative,locatingastationalongSanta MonicaBoulevardintheCenturyCityareawouldbeprecluded. Forthesereasons,Metrostronglydisagreesthattheremaybesufficientroomforacentralalternative stationlocationalongSantaMonicaBoulevard.
2.6
Location of the Westernmost trace of the WBHL
TheExponentReportagainquestionsfaultlocationwithrespecttotheConstellationStationsitein section4.2:theinferredfaultcouldpassmuchcloser(possiblybeneath)theeasternendoftheproposed [Constellation]station(areaindicatedasUncertainStructureonFigureA3).Thisissueisaddressedin Section2.1above;basedontopographicobservations,boringdata,andallotherobservations,active faultingdoesnotunderlietheConstellationStationlocationandtherearesufficientdatatoconfidently selectanalignment.
2.7
Summary Active Faulting
Insummary,ExponentsreviewofMetrosFaultInvestigationReportwastechnicallyincompleteasit didnotconsiderallthemultidisciplinarydataandtheimplicationsofthosedataoftheMetroreports. Metroperformedandassembledaverylarge,multidisciplinarydatasetpresentedintheFault InvestigationReport,andalongwiththecollectivewisdomandexperienceofthemanyexpert earthquakegeologistswhocompiledandwhoreviewedthisreport,providestrongconfirmationofthe reportsconclusions. Inaddition,theriskanalysissuggestedbyExponentforanyoftheSantaMonicaBoulevardsites (includingtheirproposedcentralalternative)isunwarranted,asanyofthesestationalternatives wouldbewithineither(orboth)theSantaMonicaornorthernNewportInglewoodactivefaultzones.As documentedintheMetroFEIR,MetroDesignCriteriawillnotpermitsitingastationonanactivefault. Hence,sinceitisnotpossibletoprecludeHoloceneactivityoffaultstrandsnolocationalongSanta MonicaBoulevardforaCenturyCity/WestBeverlyHillsStationisviable. IncontrasttotheSantaMonicaStationalternatives,theConstellationStationalternativehasno evidenceofactivefaulting.Infact,thereissignificantevidencethattheConstellationStationoptionis clearofactivefaulting.InmarkedcontrasttothetopographicallyobviousSantaMonicaandnorthern NI\WBHL)geomorphology,theabsenceofanytopographicindicationofactivefaultingatConstellation Stationandstratigraphiccontinuityofmarkerbedswithinbedrockmorethan700,000yearsold providescompellingevidencethatthissiteisclearofactivefaults.

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 3.0 - Risk Assessment
3.0
RISK ASSESSMENT
ExponentsoverarchingopinionisthatMetrodidnotconductarigorousprobabilisticriskassessment for1)selectingstationsitesand2)quantifyingthelevelofriskfortunneling.Metrostronglydisagrees withExponentsopinionanddoesnotrecommendtheuseoftheirapproachforassessingriskforthe purposeofselectinganalignment. Metrohasusedpowerful,practical,andacceptedstateofthepracticeengineeringproceduresfor evaluatingandmitigatingrisk.Metrousedariskmanagementapproachinwhichriskswereidentified andengineeringsolutionsweredevelopedtomitigatetheriskstolevelsthatarenotonlyaslowas reasonablypracticable(ALARP)but,fromextensiveexperienceinLosAngelesandonothertransit projects,havebeenproventobesafeandreliable.Fundamentaltothisapproachisthattherisk evaluationandtheengineeringtomitigateriskstoALARPareconductedbyteamsofexpertsinthe relevantdisciplines,andtheeffortandresultsarereviewedbyexpertpanels.Suchanapproachisthe wellaccepted,preferred,andsuccessfulriskmanagementprocedureformajorcivilworksprojects, includingtransitprojects,throughouttheU.S.andinmanypartsoftheworld. Metroanditsengineeringconsultantshaveabundantexperiencedesigningandbuildingtunnelsand stationexcavationsinLosAngeles,dealingwithactivefaultcrossings,probingforoilwells,controlling groundmovements,andevaluatingandcontrollinggasinflowsbothduringconstructionandoperation. Metroconductedextensivereviewsbyteamsofexpertscoveringtherelevantdisciplines Oneteamspecializedingasmonitoringandmitigationandinprobingforandreabandoningoilwell casings.Anotherteamthatinvestigatedandreviewedfaultingincludedtheprojectgeotechnical consultant,andthreeinternationallyrecognizedindividualconsultantsinfaultgeologywith extraordinarypersonalexperienceandexpertiseregardingtheSantaMonicaandtheNewport Inglewoodfaults.Theworkwasthenreviewedbytwoindependentpanelsofinternationallyrecognized experts,allofwhomhavealsohadextensiveexperienceapplyingtheirexpertisetoissuesintheLos Angelesregion:MetrosTunnelAdvisoryPanel(TAP)evaluatedtheworkthroughouttheinvestigation andreviewedthereports;furtherreviewofthereportsandassessmentoftheleveloftheMetros effortwasprovidedbytheIndependentReviewPanelconvenedspecificallyforthisproject.This extensiveeffortisequivalenttoLevels1and2ofthe4LevelriskusedbySeniorSeismicHazardAnalysis Committee(SSHAC)developedbytheUSNRC(2012)intheirRiskManagementmethodology.Levels1 and2exceedthestandardforselectinganalignmentorsitefortraditionalcivilworksprojects. Accordingly,Metrohasaccomplishedtheworkneededtoconductariskanalysis.Itisshownelsewhere inthisreportthatMetrosengineeringisgreaterindepthandinscopethantypicallyusedtoestablish analignment,andthatthedata,analysis,andconclusionsaresufficienttoselectanalignmentthrough CenturyCity.Withsuchabundantengineeringdata,thereareveryfewunknownsoruncertaintiesthata probabilisticriskanalysisisunwarrantedforselectingthealignment.

3.1
Selection of Station Sites
ExponentcriticizesMetrosevaluationofthestationsitesbystatingthat.thechoicebetweenthe stations[oneonSantaMonicaBoulevardandtheotheronConstellationAvenue]ismorelikelytobe madeonthebasisofriskperceptionratherthanriskquantification. AquantitativeriskassessmentforastationonSantaMonicaBoulevard(includingExponents proposedcentralalternative)isunwarranted.AnyofthealternativestationlocationsonSantaMonica BoulevardwouldbewithineithertheactiveSantaMonicaorNewportInglewood(NI)/WestBeverlyHills Lineament(WBHL)faultzoneorbothzones.Thefactthatstationscannotbebuiltwithinactivefault zonesobviatestheneedforadetailedcomparativeriskanalysisbetweenthetwostationsites. MetrosFaultInvestigationreportstatesforthefaultdisplacementsthatcouldoccur,designofMetros undergroundstations(complextwostorystructuresupto1,000feetlong,includingsystemsand ventilationequipment)towithstandsuchdisplacementswithoutsignificantdamageandpotentialloss oflife,wouldbeimpracticalandwithoutprecedent.Damagelevelswouldrequireacompleterebuildof thestationsandassociatedtunnelsections,withaconstructiontimeframeofseveralyears.In addition,theStateofCaliforniadoesnotpermitconstructionofstructuresforhumanoccupancyin activefaultzones.Thus,foundingastationwithinanactivefaultzoneisnotconsistentwithMetro DesignCriteriaandtheStateofCalifornialaws.Moreover,MetroDesignCriteriadoesrecognizeand provideguidelinesfortunnelstocrossactivefaults.NeithertheDesignCriterianorgoodengineering judgmentallowlocatingatunnelwithinanactivefaultzoneforasignificantdistancebutratheritmust crossatanangletothefault. Therefore,fromMetrosengineeringperspective,theoperablestandardisnolossoflifeandrepairable damage.Giventhisstandardandtheconfirmedpresenceofanactivefault,furtherprobabilisticanalysis appliedtovettingtheSantaMonicaBoulevardalignmentisnotappropriate.Suchanalysisputs probabilitiesagainstcertaineventsand,typically,estimatesarangeforpossibleimpactstoproject objectives(e.g.,cost,duration,safety,andquality).ThisinformationisthencombinedandaMonte Carloanalysisisdonetodeterminetherangeofpossibleoutcomesagainsttheprobabilityofthose outcomes. Thestrengthofsuchaprocessthatthousandsofpossiblefuturesaresimulatedtoseehoweventsare likelytoplayoutisalsoaweaknessincasessuchasthiswhereeventswithextremelysmall probabilities,butcatastrophicimpacts,arebeingconsidered.Whentheprobabilityismultipliedbythe potentialimpacttodetermineanexpectedvalue,thetinyprobabilitiestendtosubsumethepotential impactsthesmallnessoftheprobabilityoverwhelmsthelargenessoftheimpact.Thetoolsalso tendtoobscuretherealitythatsuchaneventeitherhappensoritdoesnt.Intheeventthatastation wasbuiltonSantaMonicaBoulevardandanearthquakeresultedindeathsand/orirreparable damage,itwillprovidenorelieftoknowhowimprobablesuchaneventwasorthatinathousandother futuresinaMonteCarlosimulation,thestationwasneverimpactedbyanearthquake. Expertscanandwilldisagreeastotheprobabilityorreturnperiodofaseismiceventinthearea,and expertscanandwilldisagreeastothelikelystrengthofthateventshouldithappen.Giventhatthisis anactivefault,itcanbesaidthattheriskofacatastrophicseismiceventisnotzero,andthatwhensuch aneventoccurs,lossoflifewilloccurandthestationsandtheconnectingserviceswouldberendered irreparable.Anyfurtheranalysis,beyondtheidentificationofthelocationofanactivefaultuponwhich WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT
theSantaMonicastationsandtunnelswouldbelocated,wouldimplythatbuildingastationina locationunprecedentedintheU.S.alocationthatwouldexposethepeopleusingthestationtoa continuingandarguablygrowingriskofacatastrophiceventandariskthatwouldexistforthelifetime ofthefacilityisstillalocationreasonableenoughtocontinueinvestigating.Inshort,itimpliesthatthe unprecedentedsitingofanundergroundstationinanactivefaultzone,contrarytotheintentofthe AlquistPrioloEarthquakeFaultZoningAct,isacceptable. ExponentsExecutiveSummaryalsostatesthatItisExponentsviewthatthealternativeConstellation Boulevardstation,whilegenerallyinamorefavorablelocationwithregardstofaultingissues,isinstead facedwithpotentialmethanegashazardsthatcouldrepresentatleastasgreatahazardtothepublicas thefaultinghazardsassociatedwiththeSantaMonicaBoulevardstation. Exponentsstatementisincorrectandmisleading.Comparisonofgashazardswithsitingastationonan activefaultisinappropriate.AnactivefaultattheSantaMonicaboulevardstationsitecannotbe mitigated.Ontheotherhand,gashazardscanbemitigatedashasbeendemonstratedonMetro stationsanddeepbasementsthroughoutLosAngeles,includingareasofmuchhighergas concentrationsthanatConstellation,andwillbemitigatednotonlyatConstellationbutatother locationsalongtheWestsidecorridorusingupdated,provendesignsandconstructionprocedures.
3.2
Assessment and Mitigation of Risks for Tunneling Below BHHS
Exponentstatesthattheiroverarchingopinionisthatneitherreport(FaultorSafety)demonstratesthe presentedfindingsasbasedonrigorousriskassessment(s)onthesesubjects.Specifically,noattemptis madetoquantifyorevenqualitativelyassessthepotentialrisksfromthesescenarios.Noquantitativeor qualitativeriskassessmentshavebeenpresentedtoeithera)estimatethelikelihoodofsucheventsorb) characterizethepotentialseverityofsucheventstothepublic. ExponentsopinionisverysurprisingbecausethethreeMetroreportsconsistalmostentirelyof identificationofrisks,detailedqualitativeaswellasquantitativedescriptionsoftherisksandthe engineeringproceduresusedtomitigatetherisks.However,theMetrostudieswerefocusednoton estimatingthelikelihood(probability)ofaneventbutratheronutilizingexpertsintherelevantgeologic andengineeringdisciplinestoprovidesolutionstomitigatetheriskofaneventoccurringandthento establishcontrolsandmonitoringtoconfirmthattheriskhasbeenmitigated. MetrorespondedtothemotionmadebytheMetroBoardofDirectorsinOctober2010onthesafetyof tunnelinginCenturyCity,includingexploring,risksassociatedwithtunnelingunderthe[BeverlyHills] HighSchool,includingbutnotlimitedtothefollowing:riskofsettlement,noise,vibration,risksfromoil wellsontheproperty,impacttouseoftheschoolasanemergencyevacuationcenter,andoverallriskto studentfacultyandcommunity Metrosapproachwastoconcentrateonconductingthenecessaryengineeringtoconfirmasafe alignmentandthentofullydoengineeringonthatalignment,notonlytoprovethatthealignmentis safe[riskmitigatedtoacceptablelevels],butalsotoincreasesafetyandconveniencesusingtriedand provenmethods.Adetailedengineeringstudywasconductedoneachrisktoquantifyeachcontributing factorassociatedwiththatriskandtoprovideengineeringsolutionstoreducetherisktoALARP.Rather thanconcentratingononlyrisks,Metroadoptedanaggressivesafetyverificationandimprovement approach.

Thethree(Metro)CenturyCityreports[TunnelingSafety,FaultInvestigation,andReportbytheMetro TunnelAdvisoryPanel(TAPReport)]containtheresultsofthissafetyinvestigation.Thereportsnotonly rigorouslyidentifyandcomprehensivelydescribetherisksbuttheyalsoprovidethebackgroundand studiesusedinevaluatingtherisksaswellasdescriptionsofwhatfutureworkneedstobedone[to confirmthesafety]inthenextphasesofworkincludingfinaldesign,construction,andoperation. TheapproachusedintheTunnelingSafetyReportwastodescribetheriskandstatehowtheriskswould bemitigated.Theseincludedaconservativeapproachtodesign,conservativeconstructionprocedures, comprehensiveandcontinuousmonitoringduringdesignandoperation,asarereiteratedinsections 4.0through6.0.Examplesincludethefollowingrelatedtogroundmovements:
Sitingthetunnelwithadequatecovertoreduceoreliminateimpactsfromtunnelingbelowa structure.Thetunneldepthprovidesmorethantwodiametersofcoverabovethetunnelcrown. ThealignmentwasselectedtoavoidpassingclosetotheBHHSswimmingpoolbuilding. Designandspecificationsrequiringprovenandupdatedtunnelingtechnologyforcontrollingground conditionsandpreventinginflows.PressurizedclosedfaceTBMrequiredwithsurfacesettlements tobeheldtolessthan0.5inches. Prequalificationrequirementsforbiddingcontractorsandtheirseniorengineers,supervisorsand operatorsthatincludeexperienceinoperatingandcontrollingpressurizedfacetunnelboring machines. Monitoringofmachinefunctionsandgroundmovementstoverifythatgroundconditionsare controlledandtomaketimelyadjustmentsinproceduresbeforereachingstructures.
MetrodisagreeswithExponentsopinion.TheprobabilitybasedriskanalysisthatExponentsuggestsis notstandardpracticeformajorcivilengineeringprojectsexceptforhighhazardnuclearpowerplants. Instead,RisksareaccountedforexplicitlyinMetrosdesignapproach.Itisnotpossibletoensurelife safetyforasubwaystationinanactivefaultzone.Accordingly,anystationonSantaMonicaBoulevard hasunmanageablerisks.However,theConstellationstationisnotsitedonanactivefault,andother riskssuchasgasrisks,canbemitigatedeffectively.Metrosriskmanagementapproachuses engineeringsolutionstomitigatetherisksrelatedtotunnelsafety,ratherthanestimatingprobabilities associatedwithidentifiedrisks.
3.3
Summary
Thethree(Metro)CenturyCityreports(TunnelingSafety,FaultInvestigation,andTAPReports)contain theresultsofthissafetyinvestigation.Thereportsnotonlyrigorouslyidentifyandcomprehensively describetherisks,buttheyalsoprovidethebackgroundandstudiesusedinevaluatingtherisksaswell asdescriptionsofwhatfutureworkneedstobeaccomplishedinthenextphasesofwork,includingfinal design,construction,andoperation. Throughageotechnicalinvestigation,detailedintheFaultInvestigationReport,itwasdeterminedthat thelocationofastationalongSantaMonicaBoulevardwouldbewithineithertheactiveSantaMonica orNewportInglewoodFaultZone/WestBeverlyHillsLineamentfaultzoneorbothzonesandthusnot viableforasubwaystation.

TheWestsideSubwayExtensionProjecthasexercisedindustrystandardsofbestpracticeforthe minimizationandmanagementofrisksassociatedwiththedesignandconstructionoftunnels,shafts, andassociatedundergroundstructures.Metrosapproachofconductingthenecessaryengineeringto confirmasafealignmentandthentodosufficientengineeringonthatalignmenttoprovethatthe alignmentwassafeisconsideredappropriateandadequate.


Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 4.0 - Safety of Tunneling
4.0
SAFETY OF TUNNELING
ExponentraisesseveralquestionsrelatedtoGeneralTunnelingHazardswithrespecttopotentialfor buildingdamage,tunnelinginfaultzones,andtunnelingunderBHHSanddamagetoutilities,and applicabilityofdatafrompreviousMetrotunnelprojectstotheWestsideSubwayExtensionProject. Eachoftheseisaddressedinthesectionsbelow.
4.1
Control of Ground Movements During Tunneling
TheExponentReportdoesnotdifferentiatebetweenopenshieldtunnelingmethodsusedin constructingtheMetroRedlinetunnelsinthe1990sandthemajoradvancesincurrenttunneling technologythathaveproducedprovensystemsforcontrollinggroundmovementsandinflowofwater andgasinawiderangeofsoilandgroundwaterconditions.Thus,thissubsection,reviewsthe pressurized,closedfacetunnelingsystemsnowusedonMetroprojects(alsodescribedintheTunneling SafetyReport). Pressurizedfacetunnelboringmachine(TBM)technologyhasbeendemonstratedonmanyprojectsin theU.S.andthroughouttheworldtominimizegroundsurfacemovement.Inthepast20years, improvementsindesignandoperationofthesemachineshavecontinued,andsuccesseshavebeenwell documentedonprojectsandinpublishedliterature.InLosAngeles,thesuccessofthemethodhasbeen demonstrated,ontheMetroGoldLineEastsideExtension(MGLEE).AsdescribedintheTunnelingSafety Report,minimalgroundmovementisachievedthroughcontinuoussupportofthetunnelfaceby pressurizingthefaceofconditionedexcavatedsoil,continuouspressurizationandfillingoftheannular gapsaroundtheshield,andimmediatepressuregroutingaroundthesegmentaltunnellininginstalledas thetunnelshieldisadvanced.ThispressurizedfaceTBMtechnologyalongwiththeimmediate installationofgasketedtunnellinersallowstunnelingbelowthegroundwatertablesuchthatwaterand gasdonotenterthetunnelandcausedrawdownandassociatedsurfacesettlement.Thetunneling methodhasalsobeendescribedinSection4.15oftheDraftEnvironmentalImpactReport/Draft EnvironmentalImpactStatement(DEIS/DEIR)anditsAppendixE,readilyavailableonMetroswebsite. ThepressurizedfacetechnologyisbeingspecifiedforMetroTBMtunnelsinsoil. ProfessorEisenstein,formermemberofMetrosTAP,andformerpresidentoftheInternational TunnellingAssociation(ITA),presentedtheresultsofthemonitoringatMGLEEinhiskeynoteaddressto the2007ITAWorldTunnelCongress,notingthatmostofthegroundmovementswerewithintherange ofsurveyaccuracyandessentiallyzero.Dr.EisensteinalsodescribedsimilarexperienceontheCanada LinelightrailprojectinVancouver,whereverysmallgroundmovementsweremeasuredduringEarth PressureBalance(EPB)tunnelingincludingdirectlyunderhighrisebuildings.Inhisconclusionshestates: With[earthpressurebalance]EPBTBMlossofground0.3percentshouldbeachievablefor mostcohesivesoilswithoutotherprotectivemeasures. AsdemonstratedontheexampleofLosAngelesMetrotunnels,azerolossofgroundtunneling isnowareality.Thisoutstandingachievementwasaccomplishedduetoacombinationof innovativefeaturesoftheTBMusedandtheskillofitsoperators. Manyothertunnelprojectsarebeingdrivenwithlittleornosettlement.CurrentlyonSeattlesSound TransitstwoUniversityLinktunnelcontracts,bothcontractorsareusingpressurizedface(earth pressurebalance)tunnelboringmachinesinsoilsconsistingofglacialtill,lacustrineclayandsilt,and WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT
outwashsandsandgravel.Onbothcontracts,thefirsttunneldrivesofthetwintunnelshavebeen completedandtheseconddrivesarenearingcompletion.Mostofthetunnellengthwasbeneath structures,includinghomes,apartmentbuildings,aschool,commercialstructuresandaninterstate highway.Therehavebeennosignificantsettlementsorbuildingdamage.Onecontractorconducteda concentratedmonitoringprograminthefirst500feetofthetunneldrivetoconfirmthatthetunneling methodsandgroundcontrolprocedureswereeffectiveinpreventinggroundmovements(DiPonio,etal, 2012).Pressuresensorsontheshieldfaceandperimetercontinuouslyrecordedthepositivepressures supportingthegroundatboththetunnelfaceandaroundtheperimeterofthetunnelshield,and provideddirectevidenceofwhythetunnelingsystemwasabletopreventgroundmovements.Deep extensometerslocatedimmediatelyabovethetunnelshowedthattherewasnosettlementasthe tunnelboringmachinepassedtheinstrumentlocation.
4.2
Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension Data and its Applicability to Century City
TheExponentReportstatesthatearlierprojects(e.g.,MGLEE)wereusedasexamplesoftunneling success,butnodatawasprovidedfortheirreview. ItisincorrecttostatethatnoMGLEEdatawasprovidedintheTunnelingSafetyReport.TheTunneling SafetyReportsummarizedthemagnitudeofthesettlementsmeasuredatthesurfaceandonbuildings. Itprovidedatypicalsettlementcrosssectionandsummarizedthedeepextensometersettlement measurements,notingthatallofthemeasurementswerefarbelowtheestablishedactionlevels.The volumescontainingtheoriginaldataplotswerenotprovidedinthereport,butthatdatareceived extensivereviewbyexpertsintunnelingandgroundcontrolduringandafterconstruction,andin preparingtheTunnelingSafetyReport.Furthermore,theMGLEEtunnelingworkwasdocumentedin publishedpapersbyRobinson&Bragard(2007),Chouiery,et.al(2007),andEisenstein(2007). ThroughouttheMGLEEconstruction,therealsettlementdatawasusedtoverifythatground movementswerebeingcontrolledastheTBMwasadvanced,andtheresultswereevaluated throughouttheprojectbyprojectparticipantsandtheTAP. Morerecently,duringtheplanningandpreliminaryengineering(PE)phasesforplannedMetro tunnelingprojects,includingtheWestsideSubwayExtension,MetrosTAPreviewedallthesurfaceand buildingsettlementdataandthedeepextensometerdatafortheMGLEEproject.TheTAPReport stated: Throughoutthetwotunneldrives,procedureswereinplacetocloselycontrolthetunneling operationandlimitsettlement.Acomprehensiveprogramofinstrumentationandsurveying wasconductedtomonitorgroundmovementaroundandabovethetunnels.Seventyfive extensometerswereinstalledinverticalboringsalongthetwotunnelcenterlinestomeasure groundmovementnearthecrownoftheadvancingtunnelsandatmiddepthbetweenthe tunnelandthegroundsurface.Displacementsimmediatelyabovethetunnelcrownwere typicallylessthan0.1inchandanorderofmagnitudelessthanthespecifiedActionand Maximumallowablesettlementlevels,confirmingthattheEPBoperationwaseffectivein minimizinggroundmovement. AsstatedintheTunnelingSafetyReport(Section4.2),nosubstantiatedsettlementclaimsweremadeat MGLEEduringorafterconstruction.Thistunnelpassedasshallowas35feetdirectlybelowexisting buildingfoundationswhiletheywereoccupied.Incontrast,thetunnelsatCenturyCityaremorethan50 WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT
feetbelowthesurface.TheMetroIndependentReviewPanel(IRP)alsoreviewedtheMGLEEsettlement dataandagreedwithMetrosassessment.
4.3
Soil Conditions in Century City, Beverly Hills and East Los Angeles (Gold Line)
TheExponentReport(Section5.1.2)commentedthatthegeologicalconditionsthatwouldbe encounteredattunnelingdepthbeneathBHHSwoulddiffer,perhapssignificantly,fromthoseconsidered typicalduringdrillingoftheMGLEE.Thisdifferencemayormaynotaffectthetunnelingperformanceof thepressurefaceTBMsanticipatedforuseintheproject.Thereportalsonotedtheimportanceof minimizingwaterlossfromthesaturatedsandsduringdrilling(sic)thatcouldresultinground settlement,includingduringanunplannedhaltbeneaththehighschool. ThepressurizedfaceTBMsystemsaredesignedtooperateefficientlyandcontrolthegroundinthe rangeofgroundconditionsencounteredatbothCenturyCityandatMGLEE,andtheexperienceon MGLEEisfullyapplicable,aswellasthecurrentandextensiveexcellentexperiencewithpressurized, closedfaceTBMsthroughoutthetunnelingindustry.TheminimumpressuresonthefaceoftheTBM arespecifiedandcontrolledtobeabovethegroundwaterpressures,thuspreventinginflowofwater. Tunnelingcanbeplannedtoadvancecontinuouslydirectlybeneathstructures.Furthermore,asnoted below,thesoilconditionsatMGLEEaresimilartothoseatCenturyCity. AschematicprofileofsoilconditionsatMGLEE(shownonFigure43oftheTunnelingSafetyReport) showsthattheMGLEEtunnelwasadvancedintheOlderAlluviumformation,whichincludedzonesof predominantlysandysoilsandzonesofpredominantlyclayeysoils.ThetextintheExponentReport statesthatthesandysoilsweresomewhatclayeyatMGLEE,whereasthoseatCenturyCitywere different.However,intheWestwoodarea,thesoilsareOlderAlluvium,whichalsocontainsbothsandy andclayeyzones.Furthermore,asdescribedbelow,thesandysoilsintheLakewoodformationatBHHS havesimilargradationstothoseinthesandyzonesatMGLEE.Suchgroundconditionsareamenableto efficientpressurizedfacetunneling,whichcanbeaccomplishedwithverysmallgroundmovements,as wasexperiencedatMGLEE. OnedifferencebetweenCenturyCityandMGLEEisthatthetunnelalignmentforCenturyCityisdeeper thanatMGLEE.Adeeperalignmentreducesthemagnitudeofthesurfacesettlementsforagiven tunnelsgroundloss.AnotherdesirableconditionatBHHSforgroundbehaviorattunnellevelisthe presenceofmoreverystifftohardolderalluviumabovethetunnelcrown.
4.4
Surface Settlements
TheExponentReportstatesinSection5.1.1.thataccordingtoreports[BellConsulting,2004] describingsurfaceeffectsduringtunnelingoftheMetroRedLinesubway,settlementsweremuchhigher (2to10inches)thanoriginallypredicted(0.5inches).TheExponentReportusesthisstatementto concludethathigherdifferentialsettlementsandcosmeticandevenstructuraldamageshouldbe expectedfortheCenturyCityalignment. ExponentincorrectlyreferencesareportthatdescribesearlierMetrotunnelingexperiencewithopen facediggershieldsthatarenolongerbeingusedorproposedforMetrotunnelprojects,anddoesnot acknowledgethequantumleapsinproventunnelingtechnologyforcontrollinggroundmovements,as evidencedbythetunnelingexperienceonMGLEE.TheExponentReportstatementwasmadeinspiteof theextensivediscussionandexplanationsintheTunnelingSafetyReportandtheTAPreportthatthe WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT
RedLinetunnelsconstructedinthe1990susedopenfaceshields,whichweresubjecttolarger settlementsthanthepressurizedclosedfaceTBMsnowbeingusedthroughoutthetunnelingindustry. Forthisreason,pressurizedclosedfaceTBMswererecommendedbytheMetroTAPinthe1990s(see Section92oftheTunnelingSafetyReportandSection4.1oftheTAPreport).Metroacceptedthe recommendation,andpressurizedfacemachineswerethenspecifiedandusedontheMGLEEproject wheresettlementswereheldto0to0.3inchesPressurizedfacemachinesarebeingspecifiedforMetro tunnelingprojectscurrentlyindesign,andwillbeusedfortunnelinginCenturyCity. Openfacediggershieldsnotonlyhadthepotentialforlargegroundmovementsintotheunsupported tunnelface,buttheyhadnomethodforpreventingtheregulargroundlossintotheovercutannulus aroundtheshield.Additionalgroundlossalsooccurredbehindthetailoftheshieldduringthetimeit tooktoinstallandexpandthetunnellining.Withopenshields,dewateringisrequiredtopreventinflows ofgroundwaterandsoil. Therefore,pastexperiencewithgroundlossesaroundopenshieldisnotapplicabletopressurized closedfaceTBM.Theabilitytocontrolgroundmovementsandlimitgroundlosstosmallvalues(less than0.5%,equivalenttoapproximately0.5inchesforthetunneldepthsbeingconsidered)isbeing achievedwithpressurizedfacemachinesonprojectsallovertheU.S.andworldwide.Monitoringof groundmovementsandpressuresaroundtheTBMshieldhasshownthatpressurizationoftheshield perimeteraswellasthetunnelfacepreventssignificantgroundloss.Asstatedabove,pressurizedface machinesarebeingspecifiedforMetrotunnelingprojectscurrentlyindesign,andincluderequirements forpressurizingtheshieldperimeteraswellasrequirementsforpressurizationofthetunnelfaceand forimmediategroutingaroundthesegmentaltunnelliningastheshieldhasadvanced.
4.5
Differential Settlements Along the Tunnel Axis
TheExponentReportstatesinSection5.1.1:ItappearsthatsettlementconsiderationsintheSafety Reportonlyaccountfordeformationalongaprofileperpendiculartothecenterlineofthetunnels. Differentialsettlementswouldalsobeexpectedbetweenareasaheadofandbehindtheadvancing boringmachine. Exponentcorrectlynotesthatdifferentialsettlementsdooccuralongtheaxisoftheadvancingtunnel. However,itisincorrecttoconcludethatMetrodoesnotconsiderthem.Metroconsultantshave,over manyyears,monitoredanddevelopedrelationshipsbetweenthelongitudinalsettlementslopes(along theaxisofthetunnel)andthelateralsettlementslopes(alongaprofileperpendiculartothecenterline ofthetunnel).Theconclusionisthatthelateralsettlementslopesprovideanupperlimittothe longitudinalslopesand,therefore,estimatingthelateralsettlementslopesfromaprofileperpendicular tothetunnelaxisissufficientfordeterminingtherelationbetweenbuildingdistortionanddamage. Metrosconsultantsmadethepioneeringearlymeasurementsofthethreedimensionalpatternof settlementsaroundanadvancingtunnelshield(CordingandHansmire,1975,Hansmire,1975)and reportedontherelationshipbetweensettlementslopesinthelongitudinaldirectionandthoseinthe tunnelcrosssectionperpendiculartothetunnelaxis.Suchmeasurementshavebeenmadeonanumber ofprojects.Theresultsindicatethatthemaximumsettlementslopesinthelongitudinaldirection(along thetunnelaxis)areequaltoorlessthantheaverageslopeofthesettlementtroughinthecrosssection. Thus,theaveragesettlementslopeinthetunnelcrosssectionprovidesanupperlimittothe longitudinalslope.Therefore,itisappropriatetousetherelationshipbetweengroundmovementsina WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT
profileperpendiculartothetunnelaxisinassessingmaximumdamagelevels,andisnotnecessaryto reportthelongitudinalsettlementsanddistortions.Thesettlementslopesandlateralstrainsinthe longitudinaldirectionareconsideredwhenevaluatingthedistortionsimposedonstructuralwallsand utilitiesthatareorientedinthedirectionofthetunneldrive(Cording2010).
4.6
Consolidation Settlements
TheExponentReportstatesinSection5.1.1,Itisalsoimportanttonotethatsettlementcalculations describedintheSafetyReportdonotappeartoconsiderconsolidationsettlementsduetogroundwater loss. ThisstatementconfirmsExponentslackofunderstandingofcurrenttunnelingtechnology. Consolidationsettlementsduetogroundwaterlossduringtunnelingarenotanissueasthereisno waterloss.Itismostimportanttonotethatpressurizedfacetunnelingbalancesgroundwaterpressures andthelineriswaterandgastightsothatdrainageintothetunnelproducingdewateringand consolidationsettlementsdonotoccur.Furthermore,thedenseandstiffsoilsaroundthetunnelsin CenturyCitywillnotbesubjecttomeasurableconsolidationduetostressandgroundwaterchanges duringtunneling.Moreover,asdescribedintheDEIS/EIR,theLosAngelesareahasbeensubjectedto manycyclesoffluctuationingroundwaterlevels,andsoilsaregenerallynotsubjecttofurther consolidationwithgroundwaterchanges.
4.7
Protection of Utilities
TheExponentReportsuggeststhatolder,fragilewaterlinescouldbedamagedbytunnels.Section5.2 states,Considerationmustbegiventothepossibilitythattheseveryoldutilitylinesmaybebrittleand unabletotolerateeventheprojecteddifferentialsettlements. Utilitiesalongthetunnelalignmentareroutinelyassessedandevaluatedduringdesignand construction.Usingsimilaranalysismethodsasforsettlementofbuildings,standardpracticeinthe tunnelingindustryistoidentifyandevaluateutilitieslocationswithrespecttothetunnel(depthand offset,materialcomposition,age,typeofjoints,andcontents).Themajorlinesareidentifiedfor relocationasrequiredatstationlocationsandforcoordinationwiththeutilityowner.Whereanalysisof autilityshowsthatadditionalprotectionisneeded,stepsaretakenpriortotunnelingsuchas replacementorrepairoftheutility,orbyothermethodssuchasgroundmodificationtofurther reducesettlement. WithrespecttoExponentsconcernsaboutbrittleutilities,itshouldbenotedthateventheoldcastiron watermainsoverlyingMGLEEwerenotdamagedbytheEPBMtunneling.Metroengineershave abundantunderstandingandexperiencewiththebehaviorandprotectionofutilities.Infactoneofthe membersoftheIRPpanelisaconsultantfortheLosAngelesDepartmentofWaterandPower(LADWP) andisacoauthorofthecomprehensiveLADWPreportontheconditionandprotectionofthesesame typesofcastironwaterlinesthatexistatbothMGLEEandtheConstellationalignments(Bardet,etal, 2010). Asfortunnelingmethods,ExponentcommentsinSection5.2onlargegroundmovementandformation ofasinkholein1995ontheRedLineandincorrectlyrelatesittothesensitivityofutilitiesandTBM tunneling.The1995sinkholeinHollywooddidnotoccurduringTBMtunneling.Thesinkholeresulted fromremining(removalandresettingoftheinstalledsupport)ofamisalignedtunnel.Themethodused WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT
resultedininstabilityinthetunnel,largegroundmovements,breakageofawaterline,andtheensuing collapseofthestreet.Subsequently,MetroconvenedthethreepersonTAPtoassessthefeasibilityof safetunnelinginLosAngeles.TheTAPsreportcontainedrecommendationsforfuturetunneling,which includedtheuseofpressurizedfaceTBMs,whichweresuccessfullyusedontheMGLEEproject.
4.8
Condition Surveys and Monitoring of Structures
TheExponentReportstatesinSection5.6,TheSafetyreportdoesnotaddressanyplansfor reconnaissanceormonitoringofstructuresorutilitylinesbeforeorduringtunnelingoperations. Comprehensivediscussionsofsurveysandmonitoringarepresentedinanumberofreports,including theTAPreportandtheDraftEIS/EIR.Exponentshouldbeawarethatthisisstandardpracticeinthe tunnelingindustry. Instrumentationandmonitoringduringtunnelingareabsolutelykeythisisstandardpracticeinthe tunnelingindustryandisdescribedintheDraftESI/EIR.Designsforinstrumentationandmonitoring,as wellaspreconstructionsurveys,arecarriedoutinfinaldesign.Furthermore,preconstructionsurveys mustbecarriedoutaslateaspracticalbeforetunnelingsothatthesurveyreflectsconditions immediatelypriortotunneling.Detailedinspectionsarecarriedoutaspartofthenormaldesignand preconstructionprocess.Settlementmonitoringpointsareplacedonbuildings,andaprecondition surveyisperformedforcomparisonwithconditionsaftertunnelinghasbeenaccomplished. TheTAPnotedinitssafetyreport: Designcriteriaandconstructionprocedureswillbeinplacetoensurethattheground movementsarecontrolledtorequiredlevels.ActionandMaximumlevelsforsettlementwill bespecifiedandmonitoringsectionswillbeestablishedtomeasuregroundmovementsprior toandduringtunnelingbeneaththehighschoolandotherstructuresalongthealignment. Themonitoringwillbeusedtoconfirmthatgroundmovementsarebeingcontrolledto requiredlevelsortomakeanyrequiredadjustmentsintunnelingprocedures.
4.9
Procedures for Assessing and Controlling Ground Movements
Provenmethodshavebeenusedandareappropriateforanalyzingthemagnitudeanddistributionof groundmovementsandtheirimpactonstructuresforthesoilconditionsintheCenturyCity/Beverly Hillsarea.Themethodsarebasedonextensiveexperiencemonitoringdeepgroundmovementsaround theadvancingtunnelshield,measurementsofthesurfacesettlementandlateraldisplacementsovera widerangeofgroundconditions,andcorrelationswithnumericalanalyses.InthedesignofMetro tunnelsandexcavations,afullrangeofmethodsisusedforevaluatinggroundmovements,including compilingfieldmeasurementsandnumericalanalyses.Furtherevaluationsandanalysesareconducted duringthefinaldesignandconstructionplanning;however,thecurrentanalysesarenotonlysufficient, butwellprovenforestablishingthatmovementscanbecontrolledtorequiredlevels. Metrotunnelcontractswillspecifyrequirementsforcontrollinggroundmovements,includinguseof pressurizedfaceTBMsandrequirementsforpressurizingthetunnelfaceandshieldperimeterand pressuregroutinginthetailinordertopreventsettlement.Thecontractswillhaveprequalification requirementsthatwillrequiretunnelingcontractorsandtheirindividualoperatorsandtunnelmanagers tohavehadexperienceindrivingpressurizedfaceTBMsonsimilarprojects. WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT
Inthepast10years,oneofthekeyadvancesinpressurizedfacetunnelinghasbeentheimproved controlprocedures,withrealtime,continuousmonitoringanddigitalreadoutofkeymachinefunctions toconfirmoradjustthevariousfunctionstomeetrequiredtargetlevelsandtoprovideanarchival recordforlaterreviewandevaluation. TheExponentReportnotesthatrecordedsettlementsordamageduringtunnelingshouldbecorrelated withmodelpredictions. Metroconsultantshavecorrelatedobservationsofgroundmovements,buildingdistortionandbuilding damagewithappropriatescalingrelationships,closedformsolutions,physicalmodels,andnumerical models,includingdistinctelementanalysesandtwoandthreedimensionalfiniteelementanalyses usingadvancedconstitutivemodels.Theresultsoftheseinvestigationshavebeenusedtodevelop damagecriteria,suchastherelationshipprovidedintheTunnelSafetyReportforrelatingbuilding strainsanddistortionstodamagelevels(BoscardinandCording,1989). However,theprimarymethodforcontrollinggroundmovementsandpreventingdamageisnotto observedamageduringtunnelingandcorrelateitwithmodelpredictions.Rather,itistocontrolground movementstopreventdamage.Themeasurementsofinterestareobtainedusingdeepextensometers todeterminethesettlementandgroundlossimmediatelyaroundtheTBMasitisdrivenpastthe extensometerlocation.Thisinformation,alongwithmonitoringofmachinefunctions,isusedeitherto confirmthatgroundmovementsareundercontrolortoidentifythelocationofanygroundlossaround theshieldsothatadjustmentscanbemadetoreducegroundlossespriortoreachingstructures.Inthe caseoftheMGLEEproject,75deepextensometerswereinplace,measuringgroundlossasthetunnel shieldpassed.Inallcases,theextensometersshowedthatdeepsettlementswereverysmallonthe orderof0to0.1inchesandanorderofmagnitudelessthantheactionlevel.Asaresult,therewasno damageandnoopportunitytocorrelatedamagewithanymodelpredictions.
4.10 Tunneling Through Faults

TheExponentReport(Section5.1.2)statesthefollowing:Afinalgeotechnicalissue,notaddressedin therevieweddocumentsisthepotentialinteractionbetweentunneling,mappedfaultsandstructureson theBHHScampus.Thesubverticalfaultsunderlyingthecampus,presumingtheyexist,represent discontinuitiesinthesoilmass.Surfacedeformationswilllikelybeconcentratedabovethesefaults duringdrilling(sic)asaresultofdifferentialsettlement. AsnotedintheTunnelingSafetyReport,faultedmaterialofthesoilformationsalongthealignmentdo nothaveaslargeacontrastinstiffness,strengthandpermeabilitybetweenthefaultandthe surroundinggroundasdofaultsinrock.PressurizedfaceTBMsaredesignedandoperatedsothat,as theyaredriven,theywillsupportsoilsofvariablestrengthincludingweaksoilsaswellasthesoil materialsinafaultzonewithoutcausingdifferentialsettlement.
4.11 Tunnel Schedule

Intheirconclusions,ExponentrecommendedthattunnelingbeneathBHHSbeconductedwhenschoolis notinsession. Thecurrentacceptedpracticeontunnelingprojectsistoprovidegoodcontrolofthetunneling operationbyusingstateofthepracticerealtimeinteractivemonitoringsothataccesstoanduseofthe WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT
surfaceandbuildingsisnotrestrictedasthetunnelisadvancedbeneaththem.Thisisdonewhenthere isadequatecoverbetweenthetunnelandthesurface.AtBHHS,theplannedtunneldepthprovides sufficientcoverabovethetunnel(2.5toover3timesthetunneldiameter).Becauseofthenatureof tunnelingworkandworkmanship,thereisbettercontrolofthetunneloperationandthebehaviorof thegroundwhenaconsistent,uniformrateofadvanceismaintained.Thisisoneofthereasonsthat tunneloperationsusuallyare24/7operations.Onlyonprojectswherethereisonlyafewfeetofclear distancetooverheadactivitiesarespecialmeasuresrequired.

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 5.0 - Gas Conditions At Constellation Station Option
5.0
GAS CONDITIONS AT CONSTELLATION STATION OPTION
TheExponentReport(ExecutiveSummary)states:ItisExponentsviewthatthealternative ConstellationBoulevardstation,whilegenerallyinamorefavorablelocationwithregardstofaulting issues,isinsteadfacedwithpotentialmethanegashazardsthatcouldrepresentatleastasgreata hazardtothepublicasthefaultinghazardsassociatedwiththeSantaMonicaBoulevardstation. Exponentsstatementisincorrect.Comparisonofgashazardswithsitingastationonanactivefaultis inappropriate.AnactivefaultattheSantaMonicaBoulevardStationsitecannotbemitigated.Gas hazardscanbemitigatedandareroutinelymitigatedforMetrostationsanddeepbasements throughoutLosAngeles,includingareasofmuchhighergasconcentrationsthanatConstellation Station,andwillbemitigatedinthestationsalongtheWestsidecorridorusingprovendesignsand constructionprocedures.Metrohasassembledanoutstandingteamofhighlyexperiencedconsultants withdecadesofexperienceinevaluatinggasanddesigningandconstructingstationsanddeep basementsingassyareas. TheLosAngelesbuildingandfiredepartmentspromulgatedofficialmethanemitigationstandardsas earlyas1985.ThesestandardshavebeenusedsuccessfullytomitigatemethanehazardsalloverLos Angeles,includingnumerousschools,basements,andundergroundstationsformorethan25years. Also,aspresentedintheTunnelingSafety Report,thegashazardrelativetotunneland stationexcavationsafetywasevaluatedusing datafromnewboringstakenbyMetroand fromexistingprojectsconstructedinthe CenturyCityarea.Thelevelsofmethanefound werecomparedtothosefoundintheexisting Metrotunnels(e.g.,RedLinedowntown). Whilemethanegaswasmeasuredinboringsat theConstellationStationarea,thefactthat tunnelsandstationshavebeenconstructedin similarorhigherlevelsofgasandthereare severalexistingdeepundergroundstructures intheCenturyCitygroundconditions demonstratesfeasibilitybothforconstruction andforoperation.Forexample,theThemebuildingwithmultiplelevelsofundergroundparking(refer tophoto)wasbuiltmorethan40yearsagoinCenturyCityadjacenttotheCenturyCityStationarea.The WestsideprojecthasevaluatedrequirementsforconstructingsubwaystationsalongtheWestside alignmentingassygroundandhaspreparedPreliminaryEngineering(PE)designsforliningthestations usingsystemsforpreventinginfiltrationofgas.Duringexcavation,constructionprocedures,including ventilationmethods,aredesignedtoensurethatgasconcentrationsarebelowrequiredlimitsinboth coveredandopenexcavations.Mitigationmeasuresforcontrollingandpreventinggasinflowatstations alongtheWestsidecorridor,includingatCenturyCity,havebeeninvestigatedduringthePEphase. Provenmitigationmeasureswillbeincorporatedintothedesign,construction,andoperatingplans. Underground Construction Constellation Boulevard

5.1
Station in San Pedro Formation
IntheExponentReport(Section4.3),ExponentquestionedplacementoftheSantaMonicaConstellation StationwithintheSanPedroformation.Exponentsconclusionswereapparentlymistakenlybasedon recommendationsfromareportpreparedfortheMidCityExtensioninthe1990sthatdonotapplyto theconditionsatConstellation.Whiletunnelandgeotechnicalengineersoftenusedatafromnearby sitestogainadditionalknowledgeongroundconditions,theydonotbasefoundationorsubsurface designsondatafromanothersite,especiallyifitisseveralmilesaway.SincetheAlternativesAnalysis StudyquotedbyExponentwascompleted,sitespecificboringshavebeencompletedfortheWestside SubwayExtension. GasconcentrationsatthePico/SanVicentestationarea(overfourmilesfromCenturyCity)were generallyhigherthanthosefoundinWilshire/Fairfaxareaparticularlyconcentrationsoftoxic hydrogensulfidegas.AtthePico/SanVicentestationlocation,thevastmajorityofthegaswasconfined totheupper,unsaturatedportionoftheSanPedroformation.Atthatlocation,theSanPedroformation wascappedbyadepositofclayandanassociatedzoneofperchedgroundwater.Thoseconditions resultedinpotentiallytrappingandpressurizationofthegas. ThesubsurfaceconditionsattheWestsideSubwayExtensionstationlocationsdiffersignificantlyfrom thosefoundattheMidCitysPico/SanVicentestationsite.AspresentedinFigure58intheTunneling SafetyReport,thegasmeasurementsinCenturyCityarelowerthanthoseMetroencounteredinthe existingRedLine,particularlywithrespecttohydrogensulfide.Asnotedabove,deepexcavationsfor undergroundparkingintheCenturyCityConstellationStationareahavebeenconstructedintheSan Pedroformationandhavebeenoperatingsafelyformorethan40years.
5.2
Potential for Gas Release to the Surface
TheExponentReport(Section5.3)reiteratespropertiesofmethaneandtheimportanceofsafety precaution.Metroagreeswiththesestatementsanditsconstructionspecificationwillrequire compliancewithallapplicablestateandfederalregulations.Andasdiscussedextensivelyinthe TunnelingSafetyReport,subsurfacegasesarecommonintheLosAngelesBasis.Figure52ofthe TunnelingSafetyReportshowsthatalmosttheentireWestsideSubwayExtensionalignmentiswithin thecityofLosAngelesMethaneZone.UsingLessonsLearnedoverthepast25+years,theCitiesof LosAngelesandBeverlyHillshaveidentifiedgeographicareasofconcerns,developedmethodsto measuregases,designedfortheirpresence,andmonitoredforcontrol.Metrohasalsodemonstrated designsandoperatingsystemsfortheseconditions. Travelofwaterandgasalongthetunnelarepreventedbypressuregroutingaroundthetunnel.Groutis specifiedtobeinjectedunderpressurethroughthetailofthetunnelingshieldasitisadvances.Thisis donenotonlyminimizesettlements,asdiscussedinSection4.1,buttoprovidecontinuoussupportof thesegmentaltunnelliningandtopreventflowofwaterandgasalongthecontactbetweenthetunnel andtheground.Monitoringofgroutpressuresandvolumesinjectedisconductedduringeachadvance ofthetunnelshield,andacontinuousdigitalrecordisobtainedforimmediateviewingbythe contractorsengineersandoperatorsandforlaterreviewandevaluation.Inaddition,ifnecessarya programofcheckgroutingcanbecarriedouttotestforgroutplacementaroundtheliningafterthe initialgroutisinplace.

Gasflowtothesurfaceiscontrolledbythesoilprofile,andthepresenceofthetunnelwillnotchange theflow.Thepresenceoffracturesandfaultswithinthesoilscanaffectflow,butsoilsdonotshowthe strongcontrastsseeninrockbetweenthepermeabilityofthesurroundinggroundandthefault,which containsbrokenandfracturedrock.WithrespecttothestateDepartmentofToxicSubstanceControl referencedbytheExponentReportinSection5.3,presently,anyneedforspecialprocedureswillbe identifiedduringfinaldesign.Requirementsmayrangefrommonitoringtheground(andresidencesand schoolbuildings)toinstallationofMethaneMitigationSystems.Thesesystemshavecommonlybeen installedforLosAngelesschoolsandotherstructureswithintheMethaneZonewheresubsurfacegas conditionswarrant.Inanycase,Metrowillcomplywithallstaterequirements.


Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 6.0 - Oil Well Hazards
6.0
OIL WELL HAZARDS
TheExponentReport(Section5.3)notesthattheshallowgeophysicalexplorationdoesnothavea sufficientrangetolocatewellcasingattunneldepth,statesthatmagnetometerprobingcannot thereforebeconsideredarobustscreeningtoolforoldwellcasings,andstatesthatprobingatthe tunneldepthwouldbenecessary. Thatiscorrect.TheTunnelingSafetyReportdiscussedtheseissuesindetail,includingthelimited sensingdepth,andmadetherecommendationthatmagnetometerprobingattunneldepththrough horizontalprobeswasnecessary,thusrecommendingthehorizontaldirectionaldrilling(HDD).In addition,theTAPmadethefollowingrecommendationsintheirreport: Conductmagnetometersurveysinprobeholesdrilledalongthetunnelalignmentinoilfields where there is the possibility of intersecting well casings, either ahead of the advancing tunnelsorpriortotunneling,usinghorizontaldirectionaldrilling.Itisrecommendedthat,to the east of the Constellation Station and on the Beverly Hills High School property, the surveysbeconductedduringthedesignphaseusinghorizontaldirectionaldrillholes. ForexplorationbeneaththeBHHSbuildingsduringthenextphasesofdesign,HDDinvestigationwillbe conductedalongthealignmentattunnellevel.Amagnetometerprobesurveywillbeconductedinthe drilledholetodetectmetalcasingssothatiffound,theycanbereabandonedproperlybelowthe tunneldepthpriortotunneling.ThisHDDmethodologywasinventedbymetrotorespondtothe specificneedsofthisproject. Moreover,duringtunnelconstructioninLosAngeles,magnetometersurveyshavebeenconductedin probeboringsextendinginfrontoftheTBMtoensurethatobstructions,suchaswellcasings,are detectedbeforetheyarereachedbytheTBM.Insuspectedoilfieldareas,probingofthetunnelzone willbecarriedouteitherbyHDDbeforetunnelingoraheadofthefaceduringtunneling. Whiledetectingandremovingoilwellsinadvanceoftunnelingispreferable,shouldtheybe encounteredduringtunneling,procedureshavebeendevelopedandimplementedtoevaluatethewell conditionsandsafelyreabandonthem.Abandonedoilwellshavebeenencounteredinthepastduring tunnelinginLosAngeles,asdescribedintheTunnelingSafetyReport. Chapter6.0oftheTunnelingSafetyReportaddressesactiveandabandonedoilwells.Metroresearched oilwellrecords(mapsandwellinformation)keptbytheStateofCalifornia,reviewedhistoricphotos, andperformeddetailedscanningusingstateoftheartgeophysicalandmagneticscanningmethods wherethesurfaceisaccessible.Whilenowellsinthetunnelalignmentwereconfirmed,thereport clearlyaddressedtheriskofuncertaintyandpotentialforunknownwellsatinaccessibleordeeper locations;oneexamplemightbeundertheparkinggarageeastofCenturyParkEast,abovethe ConstellationStationalignment.Forthisreason,Metrohasrecommendedthatadditionalexplorationbe carriedoutpriortotunneling,usingmethodssuchasHDDandfurthermagneticprobing(Section6.4.1). Shouldawellbeidentified,proceduresforabandonment(alsoprovidedinthereport)willbefollowed. Acomprehensivestudyofallavailableinformationfoundthattherewasonemappedabandonedoil wellclosetoorwithintheproposedtunnelalignment.Thelocationofthiswelldoesnotliewithinthe BHHScampus.Themagneticsurveyprogramandotherinconsistenciesinmapping(alsonotedby Exponent)indicatedthatthemappedlocationsofabandonedoilwellscouldbeinaccurateby50to200 WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT
Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 6.0 - Oil Well Hazards
feet.Therefore,ageophysical(magnetic)surveywasperformedontheBHHScampustodetectmetal, whichwouldindicatethepresenceofanabandonedoilwellcasing.Thesurveyidentifiedonlyone anomalyontheBHHScampusthatisclosetothealignmentbutiseastofthemappedwellmentioned above.Itisonthewestedgeofthelacrossefieldandislocated5to10feetnorthandoutsideofthe tunnelenvelope.Theanomalymayormaynotbeawellcasing,andlikelyremainingmaterialfromthe previousstructureonthissite.Itwillbefurtherinvestigatedandaddressedappropriately.Additionally, studiestolocateoilwellcasingswereclearlydescribedintheTunnelingSafetyReport.

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 7.0 - Future Development
7.0
FUTURE DEVELOPMENT
IntheExponentReport(Section5.5),Exponentstates,AtthistimeExponentdoesnothaveinformation regardingpotentialfuturedevelopmentplansatotherbusinessesorresidencesalongtheproposed tunnelalignment.Ingeneral,futuredevelopmentatotherpropertieswouldbeexpectedtobeimpacted inthesamemannerasdiscussedaboveforBHHS. FuturedevelopmentofotherpropertieshassimilarissuesandsolutionsasBHHS.Subsurfaceeasements wouldneedtobeobtained(asforanytunnelingprojectunderprivateproperty)alsodescribedinthe DEIS/EIR. MetrospecificallyaddressedfuturedevelopmentatBHHSattherequestoftheMetroBoard.Like Exponent,Metrowasunabletoobtainfuturedevelopmentplansforthehighschool.Giventhedepthof thetunnel,andworkingwithBHHSdesigners,furtherconstructionontheBHHSwouldnotbeprecluded withthepresenceoftunnels.ThisisdiscussedindetailinSection8.0oftheTunnelingSafetyReport. Exponent(intheirpresentationtotheCityofBeverlyHills)describedtheuseofmajorbridgestructures abovethetunnelstosupportfoundationsforstructuresplacedabovethetunnels.Suchbridgelike structuresarenotrequiredandtheywouldonlyaddcostandunnecessarydisruption.Asdiscussedin theTunnelingSafetyReport,foundationscanbebuiltonslabsabovethetunnelorwithfoundations betweenthetunnelssothatmajorbridgestructureswithwidespansarenotrequired. Otherpropertiesforwhichsubsurfaceeasementswillbeobtainedaredocumentedinthe EnvironmentalReport.AnyfutureprojecttobedevelopedadjacenttoMetrorightofwaywillneed Metroapprovalpriortoconstruction.Thisdoesnotprecludedevelopment;infactsometimesiteven encouragesuseasseenatmanylocationsalongtheexistingRedLine.Examplesofadjacentproperty developmentoverthetunnelsandstationsincludetheWilshire/Vermont,Hollywood/Western,and UnionStationapartmentsjointdevelopments.

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 7.0 - Future Development

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 8.0 - Conclusions
8.0
CONCLUSIONS
MetroreconfirmstheconclusionsgiveninthethreeCenturyCityareareports(TunnelingSafety,Fault Investigation,andTAPReports)andrecommendsthattheConstellationStationalignmentbeselected fortheWestsideSubwayExtension.ActivefaultingispresentonSantaMonicaBoulevard,andno stationlocationonSantaMonicaBoulevardinCenturyCitywillmeetMetroscriteria.TheConstellation StationsiteissuitableforaMetrostationandcanbesafetyconstructedandoperated.Tunnelingcan alsobesafelyaccomplishedalongtheConstellationStationalignmentunderBHHSandadjacent properties. Metroconducteditsinvestigationswithworldclassscientistsandengineerswithextensiveexperience inapplyingtheirexpertisetoinfrastructuredesignintheLosAngelesregion.Throughouttheir distinguishedcareers,theseindividualshavebeenworkingonspecificissuessuchasthosethey addressedforMetrointheseinvestigations.Theirareasofexpertiseincludeseismicityandfaultgeology geotechnicalandearthquakeengineering,paleoseismology,geomorphology,tunnelingandground control,riskmanagement,gasoccurrenceandmitigation,andoilwelldetectionandabandonment. Tunnelingthroughactivefaultscanbesafelyaccomplished.Metrohasdevelopeddesignsforcrossing activefaultsandinstallingtunnelliningsusingpressurized,closedfaceTBMs. Metrosreportsaretheresultofacomprehensiveinvestigationofthespecificissuesrequestedbyits BoardofDirectorstoassessrisksandtodevelopplanstomitigaterisk.Themethodologyandstandards usedarethesameusedforselectionofallothertransitprojects,requiringreviewandapprovalbythe FTAanditsProjectManagementOversightrepresentatives,aswellasthequalifieddesignersandtheir specialtyexpertsandreviewpanels.ThisassuresMetrothatithasaddressedsafetyandtheengineering andmanagementactionsneededtoassuresafety. ThespecifictypeofprobabilitybasedriskanalysisthatExponentsuggestsisnotappropriatefor respondingtothequestionsaskedbytheBoardanddoesnotprovideinformationordatathatcan readilyusedbytheBoardtomakedecisions.Itismoreappropriatetoidentifythenmitigatetherisks. MetrosRiskmitigation(reduction)measuresincludesubsurfaceinvestigations,designqualityassurance throughdesignreviews,proceduresforqualifyingconstructioncontractorsandtheirkeypersonnel, contractspecificationsthataddressspecificmeasuresforcontrollingrisk,andmonitoringthroughout constructiontoconfirmthatthemeasureshavebeenachieved. ThesuccessfultunnelingontheMGLEEisjustoneofnumerouscasehistoriesintheU.S.andworldwide thatdemonstratetheabilityofthecurrenttunnelingtechnologiestocontrolthetunnelingprocessand minimizesettlements.Exponentsreferencetotunnelmethodsandimpacts(suchasasinkholeorlarger settlements)duringRedLineconstructionhasnorelevancetothevastlyimprovedtunnelingtechnology currentlyemployedonMetroprojects.Inthe1990s,MetrosTAPreviewedRedLinetunnelingmethods aswellastunnelingconstructionworldwide,statedthattunnelingcouldbeaccomplishedundercontrol, andrecommendedthatMetrorequiretheuseofpressurized,closedfaceTBMs.Metrorequiredthe technologyonMGLEEandisspecifyingitforprojectscurrentlyinthedesignphase.Oneofthemain advancesintunnelingtechnologyhasnotonlybeentheabilitytopressurizeandsupportthetunnel face,buthasalsobeenthedevelopmentofcomprehensiveproceduresforcontrollingTBMoperation andformonitoringtoensurethatcontroloftheground,groundwaterandgas,hasbeenachieved. WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT
Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 8.0 - Conclusions
Risksfromoilwellsorothersubsurfaceobstructionshavealsobeenminimized.Oilwells,ifpresent,will bediscoveredinadvanceoftunnelingbyprovenmethodsandsafelyreabandonedifinthepathofthe tunnel. Gasessuchasmethaneandhydrogensulfidehavebeenencounteredtosomedegreeinmostofthe tunnelprojectsintheLosAngelesarea.Metrosownsafetyrecordofnoseriousincidentsinmorethan 20milesoftunnelingandmorethan20yearsofoperationoverwhelminglydemonstratessafety. Improvedmethodsforgasmonitoringandcontrolwillbeconductedinallphasesoftheprojectdesign, constructionandduringoperations. Insummary,thereissufficientreliableinformationfortheBoardtomakeadecisiononthealignment:
Currentinformationonthelocationandcharacterofthefaultzonesissufficienttoselectthe alignment. TheConstellationStationlocationisrecommendedandcanbebuiltandoperatedsafely. ItissafetotunnelunderWestwood,CenturyCity,WestBeverlyHills,andBHHSusingdesignand tunnelingproceduresoutlinedinMetrosreports. ThepresenceofatunnelwillnotpreventBHHSfrombeingusedasanEmergencyCenterorfrom developingtheirsitebyplacingnewfacilitiesoverthetunnel. Metrosbroadbasedengineeringandriskreductionprogramwillcontinueintofinaldesignand construction.Comprehensiveinvestigationswillbeconductedduringdetailedengineeringto addressareaswhereadditionalinformationisneededasoutlinedinMetrosthreeCenturyCityArea StudyReports

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 9.0 - References
9.0
REFERENCES
Bardet,J.P.,D.Ballantine,G.E.C.Bell,A.Donnellan,S.Foster,T.S.Fu,J.List,R.J.Little,T.D.ORourke,and M.C.Palmer,ExpertReviewofWaterSystemBreaksintheCityofLosAngelesduringSummer 2009,ReportbyUSCCenteronMegaCities,UniversityofSouthernCalifornia,USC<April9,2010, 167pp Boscardin,M.D.,andE.J.Cording,1989,BuildingResponsetoExcavatedInducedSettlement,Journal ofGeotechnicalEngineering,AmericanSocietyofCivilEngineers,Vol.115,No.1,pp121. Chouiery,et.al,PlanningandConstructionoftheMetroGoldLineEastsideExtension,Proceedings, RETC,2007. Cording,E.J.andW.H.Hansmire,"DisplacementsAroundSoftGroundTunnels,"GeneralReport,Session 4,5thPanAmericanCongressonSoilMechanicsandFoundationEngineering,BuenosAires, November,1975,Vol.4,pp.571633. Cording,E.J.,ImpactandcontrolofgroundmovementinundergroundConstruction,KerstenLecture, UniversityofMinnesota,February29,2010. Diponio,M.,Frank,G.,Ehsan,A.,Cording,E."SettlementRiskofExtendedOvercutinDenseSoils," NorthAmericanTunnelingConference,2012,(inpress) Dolan,J.F.andSiehK.,1992,TectonicGeomorphologyoftheNorthernLosAngelesBasin:Seismic HazardsandKinematicsofYoungFaultMovement,inEhlig,P.L.,andSteiner,E.A.,eds.,Engineering GeologyFieldTrips:OrangeCounty,SantaMonicaMountains,andMalibu,GuidebookandVolume: Berkley,California,AssociationofEngineeringGeologists,p.B2026. Dolan,J.F.andSieh,K.,1992,PaleoseismologyandGeomorphologyoftheNorthernLosAngelesBasin: EvidenceforHoloceneActivityontheSantaMonicaFaultandIdentificationofNewStrikeSlipFaults throughDowntownLosAngeles,EOS,TransactionsoftheAmericanGeophysicalUnion,Vol.73,p. 589. Eisenstein,Z.D,KeyNoteAddresstoInternationalTunnellingAssociation(ITA)WorldTunnelCongress, TunnelsinMetropolis,Prague2007.Printedinspecialissue2007oftheCzechprofessional bulletinTUNEL. MetroTunnelAdvisoryPanel(TAP),CenturyCityAreaTunnelingSafetyandFaultInvestigationsReport, October2011 ParsonsBrinckerhoff,CenturyCityAreaFaultInvestigationReport,October2011 ParsonsBrinckerhoff,CenturyCityAreaTunnelingSafetyReport,October2011 RobinsonB.andBragard,C.,LosAngelesMetroGoldLineEastsideExtensionTunnelConstruction CaseHistory,Proceedings,RapidExcavationandTunnelingConference,(RETC),2007. Rockwell, T.K.,2000,Useofsoilgeomorphologyinfaultstudies:inQuaternaryGeochronology: MethodsandApplications,J.S.Noller,J.M.Sowers,andW.R.Lettis,eds,AGUReferenceShelf4, AmericanGeophysicalUnion,WashingtonD.C.,p.273292 USNRC2012,PracticalImplementationGuidelinesforSSHACLevel3and4HazardStudies,NUREG2117, February2012

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 9.0 - References


Metro Response To Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent

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WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent Table of Contents

OILWELLHAZARDS...............................................................................................................61 WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent Table of Contents

7.0 8.0 9.0

WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent Executive Summary

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent Executive Summary

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent Executive Summary

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent Executive Summary

Exponent Comment Presentedfindingswerenotbasedonrigorous riskassessment(s).Specifically,noattemptis madetoquantifyorevenqualitativelyassessthe potentialrisks...

Metro Response RisksareaccountedforexplicitlyinMetrosdesignapproach.Metros riskmanagementusesengineeringsolutionstomitigatethe undergroundconstructionrisks,ratherthanestimatingprobabilities associatedwithpotentialfutureevents.

...ConstellationBoulevardstation,while generallyinamorefavorablelocationwith regardstofaultingissues,isinsteadfacedwith potentialmethanegashazards ...additionalinvestigation[that]couldbe performedtovetthepotentialcentral alternativeinclude:[Trenchingandadditional borings](paraphrased)

WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent Executive Summary

Exponent Comment accordingtoreportsdescribingsurface effectsduringthetunnelingoftheMetroRed Linesubway(BellConsulting,20042),settlements weremuchhigherthanoriginallypredicted

WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent Executive Summary

Exponent Page No. 3,15,18 Metro Disagrees

Metro Response Lifecyclecostsaresystematicallyaddressedwithrespecttobothcapital andoperationsandmaintenancecosts.Lifecyclecosts.

...dangerouslevelsofmethanegasmay accumulateunderbuildingfoundationsor developedareasonthesurface(Hamiltonand Meehan,1992)."

iii,13,14,17, ...probinginadvanceofthetunnelboring 18 machineisneededtolocatethepresenceor confirmtheabsenceofoilwellcasings 15 ...futuredevelopmentatBHHSandother propertieswouldbeexpectedtobeimpacted.

WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 1.0 - Introduction

theCenturyCityConstellationStationsiteandtunneledapproachesaresafe;and theproposedCenturyCitySantaMonicaBoulevardStationisnotviablebecauseofactivefaulting presentinthearea.

WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 1.0 Introduction

WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 2.0 - Active Faulting

WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 2.0 - Active Faulting

WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 2.0 - Active Faulting

Offset of Holocene Sediments

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 2.0 - Active Faulting

Interpretation of Lateral Discontinuities

Exploration of a Central (station) Alternative on Santa Monica Boulevard

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 2.0 - Active Faulting

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 2.0 - Active Faulting

Location of the Westernmost trace of the WBHL

Summary Active Faulting

WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 3.0 - Risk Assessment

WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 3.0 - Risk Assessment

Selection of Station Sites

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 3.0 - Risk Assessment

Assessment and Mitigation of Risks for Tunneling Below BHHS

WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 3.0 - Risk Assessment

WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 3.0 - Risk Assessment

WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 3.0 - Risk Assessment

WESTSIDE SUBWAY EXTENSION PROJECT

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 4.0 - Safety of Tunneling

ExponentraisesseveralquestionsrelatedtoGeneralTunnelingHazardswithrespecttopotentialfor buildingdamage,tunnelinginfaultzones,andtunnelingunderBHHSanddamagetoutilities,and applicabilityofdatafrompreviousMetrotunnelprojectstotheWestsideSubwayExtensionProject. Eachoftheseisaddressedinthesectionsbelow.

Control of Ground Movements During Tunneling

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 4.0 - Safety of Tunneling

Response to Hazard Assessment Study by Exponent 4.0 - Safety of Tunneling