Stimulus bill gets LA transit projects rolling

Supervisor Yaroslavsky and his Metro Board colleagues have moved quickly to line up priority transit projects in the Southland eligible for federal funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), the economic stimulus bill recently signed by President Obama.

Transit officials estimate that Los Angeles can expect an infusion of federal cash totaling between $800 million and $1 billion for desperately needed road and rail transit improvements throughout the County. Adding some urgency to the process is a “use it or lose it” provision that gives the County 120 days to commit at least 50% of the highway project funding, and 180 days to commit at least 50% of public transit and grant program funding.

Yaroslavsky cited a number of key projects of particular interest and benefit to the Third District.

Bus Operations
The stimulus package contains $301 million for bus operations and capital investment in the County’s regional and municipal bus systems, with the lion’s share – 73.3%, or some $219.5 million – designated for Metro’s Countywide bus system. Metro plans to purchase 100 new buses, rebuild and repair 200 more in its aging fleet and contract for 53 additional buses to expand various bus line services around the County.

Rail Modernization
Rail passengers can also look forward to some improvements. Riders on the downtown-to-Long Beach Blue Line light rail will benefit from a $14 million traction power substation project to upgrade the electrical system and ensure continued reliable operation of the Blue Line, which first opened in July 1990. The Metro Board also approved a $5.3 million project to begin work on a train collision avoidance system after several devastating Metrolink commuter train crashes in recent years.

Road Work
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has officially released $26.7 billion in ARRA highway formula funding appropriated for the states, with California’s share at $2.57 billion. The County of Los Angeles is due to receive at least $215 million allocated by population, and possibly up to $315 million with additional state legislation, funding hundreds of local projects throughout the County’s 88 cities. Another $200 million has been set aside for an ambitious HOV lane project on the northbound San Diego Freeway (I-405) between the Santa Monica (I-10) and the Ventura Freeways (I-101).