Big Progress On Transit Projects

by Gary Toebben

In 2008, more than two-thirds of Los Angeles County voters approved Measure R, a one-half cent sales tax that will generate $40 billion over the next 30 years for traffic relief and transportation improvements throughout the county. Today and last week, voters were rewarded for their support.

This morning, U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx and U.S. Representatives Maxine Waters and Karen Bass joined a host of local elected officials, Metro board members and community leaders for the groundbreaking of the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Project. This new light rail line will be the first to serve Crenshaw and Inglewood since the Los Angeles Rail Line (Yellow Cars) ceased service in 1955. 

The new 8.5 mile line budgeted at $2.058 billion will connect the Metro Expo Line and the Metro Green Line and is expected to open in 2019. When a final plan is agreed on by Metro and LAX officials, the Crenshaw/LAX line will link directly to LAX via light rail or an automated people mover. 

Last Thursday, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein announced that two other Measure R projects, the Downtown Regional Connector and the Westside Subway extension, were part of the federal omnibus funding bill with $65 million slated for each project. These allocations are the first federal funds for either subway project and represent a down payment on “Full Federal Grant Agreements” with the Federal Transit Administration that will eventually yield $670 million for the Downtown Connector and $1.25 billion for the Westside Subway extension. 

The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce congratulates Metro on these two major achievements and thanks everyone who played a role in these two successes. The Chamber was a champion for Measure R and we are persistent lobbying partners with Metro in the halls of Congress. 

Securing funding for critical L.A. highway and transit projects will be a top priority for the 150 city, county and regional leaders who will travel to Washington, D.C. on March 10-12 for our annual lobbying trip — ACCESS Washington, D.C., Los Angeles on the Hill. We invite you to join us as we thank our Congressional delegation for their leadership and to lobby for projects, including America Fast Forward, that further improve L.A.'s mobility in addition to many other important priorities for our region. Your voice and our collective voices make a difference in Washington, D.C. That fact was obvious this past week.

And that's The Business Perspective.