Groundbreaking ceremony held for LACMTA Regional Connector

Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor
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LACMTA

Los Angeles Country Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Regional Connector, a two-mile light-rail transit segment connecting three existing transit lines in the heart of downtown Los Angeles.

 

LACMTA representatives were joined at the ceremony by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx and state and local officials. George Takei, best known for playing Sulu on Star Trek, served as Master of Ceremonies.

The $1.42 billion Regional Connector project extends the Gold Line to downtown L.A. and better connects the Metro Blue, Gold and Expo lines with the rest of the region. The extension will also provide a one-seat ride for travel across Los Angeles County and will serve Little Tokyo, the Arts District, Civic Center, The Historic Core, Broadway, Grand Av, Bunker Hill, Flower St and the Financial District.

The project is funded by the Measure R half-cent sales tax ordinance for LA County transportation improvements, as well as a Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) with the federal government that secured $670 million for the project. In addition, the U.S. Department of Transportation granted LACMTA secured a loan of $160 million Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA).

A joint venture between Skanska USA Civil West California District, Inc., and Traylor Brothers Inc. was awarded the $927.2-million contract to design and build the project.

LACMTA has begun work on the underground connection between the existing Metro Gold line in Little Tokyo and the Exposition and Blue light-rail lines, which currently terminate at Flower and 7th Streets. The project also includes four new light-rail vehicles to augment the existing fleet. The project will reconfigure LACMTA’s three existing LRT lines into two lines, one primarily running north to south and one east to west. The project reconfiguration will eliminate the need for riders to make cumbersome transfers from light-rail to the Red or Purple Line subway system and then back onto light rail to reach their destinations.

LACMTA estimates the Regional Connector will open in 2020 and initially handle roughly 60,000 trips or more each weekday.

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