LACMTA Board certifies FEIR for LAX people mover

LACMTA

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) Board of Directors has voted to certify the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for its Airport Metro Connector 96th Street Station.  

The FEIR vote pushes forward one of the first projects outlined by Measure M, LACMTA’s transportation ballot measure that garnered more than 69 percent of voter support in November 2016.

“Today’s action speaks volumes in terms of connecting our entire rail system with LAX—one of the busiest airports in the United States and a major employment center in Southern California,” said LACMTA Board Chair John Fasana. “Getting this report certified means we can now design the station and then build it.”

The Airport Metro Connector 96th Street Transit Station will add a new station to the Crenshaw/LAX Line, which is currently under construction. The station will facilitate a transfer to a planned Automated People Mover (APM) that will connect to the LAX passenger terminals. Details of the APM are still being established, and representatives say it will be built and operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA). Metro and LAWA are working together to bring the two projects to fruition.

Envisioned as the new “gateway” to LAX, the 96th Street Transit Station will be served by LACMTA’s Green and Crenshaw/LAX lines. The station is set to include three light-rail platforms, a bus plaza for LACMTA and municipal buses, a pick-up/drop-off area, a bicycle hub and a LACMTA hub/terminal building that will connect to the APM.

Walsh/Shea Corridor Constructors (WSCC) is building the Crenshaw/LAX light-rail project and has committed to a project completion timeline that will allow for rail service to begin in the fall of 2019.

“This is a shovel-ready project, funded by Measure M that can now proceed toward the construction stage,” said LACMTA CEO Phillip A. Washington. “In fact, as part of their commitment, the contractors working on the Crenshaw/LAX line are well on their way to delivering accommodations for the future Airport Metro Connector 96th Street Transit Station.”

The FEIR is available to view here.