LA Metro receives federal support for 30/10, Subway Extension

Ara Najarian, Board chairman, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said: "Los Angeles County received a double dose of good news June 4 from Washington, which I find very encouraging. Senator Barbara Boxer said that the Obama Administration is accelerating consideration of the subway extension project to Westwood by having the Federal Transit Administration weigh our bid for federal funding for the entire nine-mile segment rather than break it up in three phases. That's significant because it means when federal funding is secured we can build the entire project at once, which would greatly accelerate the completion schedule and help reduce costs because we beat inflation.

"And, second, Senator Boxer
released a letter from U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in which he
pledged to consider the 30/10 initiative in the next transportation reauthorization
bill," Najarian said. "30/10 is an initiative championed by Los Angeles Mayor
Villaraigosa and supported by Metro that would leverage local Measure R
transportation dollars with advance federal funding to build a dozen major
transportation projects within the next decade to create jobs, ease pollution
and save energy. The timing of this announcement adds to the momentum we’re
experiencing here as new construction projects break ground and we advance
multiple transit corridor studies throughout Los Angeles County."

 "Los Angeles County owes Senator Boxer as well as U.S.
Transportation Secretary LaHood a debt of gratitude for continuing the fight to
secure federal funding for major transportation projects like the subway
extension that will, literally, transform Los Angeles from the car capital of
the world to the transit capital," said Metro CEO Art Leahy. "And the 30/10
initiative where we would leverage local transit tax dollars with advance
federal funding to build a dozen major transportation projects within the next
decade would serve as a model for the nation if it becomes part of the next
federal transportation reauthorization bill."