LACMTA eyes federal funding for Phase 2 of Purple Line Extension

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) is considering federal funding for phase two of its Purple Line Extension in the form of a $1.1 billion grant from the Federal Transit Administration's New Starts program and a $307 million low-interest loan from the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program. The LACMTA Board would have to give approval before the transit agency could apply for the funds.

 

Pre-construction is already underway on the first phase of the Purple Line Extension, which will stretch the subway from its current terminus at Western Avenue to La Cienega Boulevard with new stations at Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax and Wilshire/La Cienega. Earlier this year, LACMTA received $2.1 billion in federal grants and loans for the first phase and the agency this summer picked a contractor to build the project.

The second phase will extend the tracks to a downtown Beverly Hills station and a station at Avenue of the Stars and Constellation Boulevard Century City.

The target date for completion, with the federal funding, would be 2025. That’s one year earlier than the original target date for the second phase (the first phase to La Cienega Boulevard is forecast to open in 2023).

The Purple Line Extension is also funded by Measure R, the half-cent sales tax increase approved by nearly 68 percent of Los Angeles County voters in 2008.

 

 

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