LACMTA breaks ground on Purple Line Extension

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
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Mark Clifford/LACMTA

Leaders of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) joined federal, state and local elected officials in the Mid-Wilshire District of Los Angeles Nov. 7 to break ground on the Purple Line Extension Project.

Construction of the subway extension will connect West Los Angeles to the region’s growing rail network, making it possible to travel between Downtown Los Angeles and Westwood in 25 minutes.

The first subway segment will extend the Purple Line 3.9 miles from the existing Wilshire/Western Purple Line terminus near Koreatown into Beverly Hills. Three new underground stations are planned at Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax and Wilshire/La Cienega, providing fast, frequent, high-capacity transit service farther west along Wilshire Boulevard. In July, the LACMTA Board approved a contract with Skanska, Traylor and Shea, a Joint Venture (STS), to construct the first phase of the project.

“The Purple Line will ease traffic along the congested Wilshire corridor and will make traveling from the westside to downtown faster and greener.” said Eric Garcetti, mayor of Los Angeles and LACMTA Board chair. “When it comes to infrastructure, L.A. is on the move. We are right now investing $36 billion in our transportation infrastructure to ease congestion and create thousands of jobs. All together, this is the largest public works project in the nation. In the car capital of the world, we are looking to reduce traffic and cut air pollution by giving people car-free options to get to work and play.”

The Purple Line Extension is partially funded by the 2008 Measure R sales tax that was approved by two-thirds of L.A. County voters. The first segment of the subway is expected to be completed in 2023 with a project budget of $2.821 billion. In addition to this local funding, LACMTA received a $1.25 billion Full Funding Grant Agreement from the Federal Transit Administration to help pay for the first segment. The U.S. Department of Transportation also granted Metro a low-interest loan of $856 million from a Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act to complete the funding package for the project’s first phase. Combined, these nearly $2 billion in project commitments represent the biggest federal transportation investment for a single construction segment in the history of Los Angeles County. The remaining $821 million in project funding for the first segment includes Measure R, City of Los Angeles local funding, and other existing local and federal funds.

The project is planned to be built in three sections. Section 2, which will include Wilshire/Rodeo and Century City stations, is scheduled for completion in 2026. Section 3, which will include Westwood/UCLA and Westwood/VA Hospital stations, is planned to open in 2035. When all three project sections are complete, the Purple Line will extend westward from Wilshire/Western for nearly nine miles with a total of seven new stations.

The full nine-mile project is projected to generate about 62,000 daily weekday boardings at the seven new stations. Today, there are 39,000 daily boardings on the Purple Line between Union Station and Wilshire/Western. By 2040, 150,000 daily boardings are expected on the Purple Line between Union Station and Westwood/VA Hospital.

“Today, Los Angeles takes another step forward in its efforts to improve public transportation, provide better opportunities to area residents and reduce gridlock,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “Congress needs to pass the GROW AMERICA Act so that towns, cities and rural areas all over the country can enjoy the benefits of much-needed investments in transit, roads and bridges.”

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