The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Board of Directors approved the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Report (EIS/R) for the Westside Subway Extension and Regional Connector projects, clearing the way for both projects to enter final environmental review and preliminary engineering.

In approving the environmental drafts, the Board also approved Metro staff recommendations for the Locally Preferred Alternatives--the routes the projects would take through their respective project areas. For the Westside Subway Project, the recommended route is a subway extension running between the Wilshire/Western Metro Purple Line Terminus to Westwood/VA Hospital, a distance of approximately nine miles. For the Regional Connector Project, the recommended route is a nearly two-mile, fully-underground light rail line connecting the Metro Gold Line, Metro Blue Line and future Expo Line through Downtown Los Angeles. The LPA recommendation to eliminate the 5th/Flower Station was approved. The Board, however, requested Metro staff to report back at the December Board meeting whether there was private sector interest in funding a further study of the 5th/Flower Station.

In the Final EIS/R phase, agency planners will further analyze environmental issues for route and station options that were carried forward from the draft. At the end of the approximately one-year final environmental review process, the Metro Board will decide the project that will ultimately be built utilizing local Measure R transportation sales tax monies. Metro is also currently seeking matching funds through the federal New Starts Program for these projects.

Both projects are expected to fill two major gaps in the Los Angeles area rail system, providing faster, more reliable travel times for transit commuters while increasing project trips throughout the Metro Rail system.

"Today's Board decision to move both of these projects forward simultaneously is a major milestone in the history of transit in Los Angeles County," said L.A. County Supervisor and Metro Board Chair Don Knabe. "What's more, the Board's action is a vote of confidence that these projects will best compete for immediate federal funding as our agency moves aggressively to fulfill the promise of Measure R and the accelerated timeline of 30/10."

The 30/10 Initiative seeks to use the long-term revenue from the Measure R sales tax as collateral for long-term bonds and a federal loan, which will allow Metro to build these and 10 other key mass transit projects throughout the county in 10 years rather than 30.

The Westside Subway Extension, a $4.2-billion project (in 2009 dollars), would extend Los Angeles' subway system to Beverly Hills, Century City and Westwood, a congested and jobs-rich region of Los Angeles that has waited several decades for rail service. A one-way trip between Downtown L.A. and Westwood is forecast to take only 25 minutes. By 2035, the project is estimated to generate nearly 53,000 boardings at new stations along the alignment. The number of transit trips increases to nearly 81,000 when new station boardings are combined with riders who board the new line from elsewhere on the Metro Rail system. Construction could begin in 2013, with completion of the subway to the Westwood area by 2022 if Metro is successful in securing advance federal funding.

The Regional Connector, a $1.245-billion project (in 2009 dollars), would tie together all light rail lines in downtown L.A., providing major regional north/south and east/west rail line linkages that would give transit commuters a one-seat, one-ticket ride and significant travel time savings not available today. The connection itself will save approximately 20 minutes of time by eliminating line transfers through Downtown. The project is estimated to provide access to 90,000 passengers daily, including 17,000 new transit riders by 2035. Construction could begin in 2014 and be completed by 2019, again depending on leveraging Measure R funding with federal dollars.