Crenshaw/LAX, Maryland’s Red Line among 14 projects put on fast track
Written by jrood
The Obama Administration selected 14 infrastructure projects around the country that will be expedited through permitting and environmental review processes, including the Crenshaw/LAX and the Baltimore Red Line projects. This announcement comes as a result of a Presidential Memorandum, which President Obama issued in late August at the recommendation of his Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. Through the Presidential Memorandum, the President directed agencies to expedite environmental reviews and permit decisions for a selection of high priority infrastructure projects that will create a significant number of jobs, have already identified necessary funding and where the significant steps remaining before construction are within the control and jurisdiction of the federal government and can be completed within 18 months. Crenshaw/LAX, California The Crenshaw/LAX project will extend the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's existing Green Line light rail nearer to the Los Angeles International Airport and connect it to the Expo Line light rail. The Federal Transit Administration is providing additional targeted technical assistance to shorten the approval time for this project by several months. In addition, FTA and LACMTA will pilot FTA's new streamlined risk assessment approach for major transit projects to ensure risks and associated mitigation measures are identified and addressed promptly. Baltimore Red Line, Maryland The Baltimore Red Line is a 14-mile rail transit line connecting the suburban areas west of Baltimore to downtown, the Inner Harbor and Fells Point areas and the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center Campus. This project has many outstanding permitting issues that will require substantial cooperation between a number of resource and other federal agencies. By engaging in early negotiations with all necessary federal agencies and optimizing coordination amongst the agencies this project will begin construction earlier than currently planned, potentially reducing the project timeline by two years.
