Staff recommendations to the California Transportation Commission signals the arrival of nearly $60 million in new state funding for transportation projects in L.A. County.
The new money, which would be sourced from the 2022 Solutions for Congested Corridors Program, is a sliver of the roughly $500 million in recommended funding awards statewide. The recommendations are to be considered at the June 28th and 29th meeting of the Transportation Committee.
The three projects which will receive funds in L.A. County include:
I-405 Corridor Community Bus Service Improvement Program
Metro is expected to receive $32 million in funding for two projects, lumped together under the I-405 branding.
North San Fernando Valley Battery Electric Bus PurchaseMetro
North of the Santa Monica Mountains, Metro will use the money for the purchase of 75 new battery-powered electric buses, which will be used as part of the enhanced bus east-west bus service planned for Nordhoff Street, Roscoe Boulevard, and other corridors through the North San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor. While that project had originally been pitched as a full bus rapid transit line, the Metro Board ultimately approved a scaled-back plan that only incorporates peak-hour lanes and signal priority.
According to a fact sheet, approximately $25 million of the money will go toward the bus procurement - representing the full amount requested. The total cost of the buses is listed at $75 million in a fact sheet. A contract award for purchasing the vehicles is expected in June 2024.
Venice Blvd. Speed & Reliability ComponentsMetro
The remaining $6.5 million awarded to Metro under the I-405 program will go toward the construct construction of 38 new bus boarding islands with 27 shelters featuring real-time information displays along Venice Boulevard between Culver City Station and Lincoln Boulevard. A large portion of that corridor, between Culver Boulevard and Inglewood Boulevard, has recently seen the addition of dedicated bus-only lanes.
Construction of the new shelters and islands, which have a total cost of approximately $10.2 million, is expected to begin in June 2025.
Rendering of the Market Street Station with maintenance facilityCity of Inglewood
Chalk up another win for the City of Inglewood, which continues to draw in more state funding for its $1.8-billion automated people mover system. The 1.6-mile system will have three stations, connecting the K Line's Downtown Inglewood stop with SoFi Stadium and Intuit Dome, the future home of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Inglewood will see an additional $6.3 million go toward the project. That supplements other state funding awards, including $68.7 million through the 2023 Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program. More than $750 million has been raised for the project to date, with the goal of building it prior to the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Los Angeles Metro Light Rail CORE Capacity and System Integration Project
Platform view at Mariposa StationWikimedia Commons
Metro has also secured $20 million for a project that aims to improve passenger capacity on the C Line. In addition to the replacement of aging track, catenary wire, and power substations, the project will extend passenger platforms at Aviation/LAX, Mariposa, Douglas, and Redondo Beach Stations to accommodate three-car trains.
According to a project fact sheet, the $195-million project is expected to begin construction in early 2025, and is also targeting completion prior to the Olympics.
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