Category Archives: Measure R

Motion on Crenshaw/LAX Line moved to full Board of Directors

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The Board of Directors’ Measure R Delivery Committee voted 2 to 1 on Thursday for a motion by Board member Mark Ridley-Thomas that seeks to add a Leimart Park station for the Crenshaw/LAX Line and also underground a portion of the line from 48th to 59th streets.

The committee vote moves the item to the full Board of Directors, who meet next Thursday. The motion proposes two key changes to the Crenshaw/LAX Line and I’m sure it will prompt an interesting discussion — especially because there is community support behind the changes.

The big issue, I expect, is the cost of making those changes at a time when Metro is facing possible declines in funding from both the state and federal governments. Under the current planning process, the tracks between 48th and 59th would run at street level.

Ridley-Thomas and Board member Mike Antonovich voted for the motion. Board member Diane DuBois voted against, saying the issue needed to be decided by the full Board.

America Fast Forward: Charlotte Lynx

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Mecklenburg County's 2030 transit system plan.

This is the third story in our series examining how L.A. County’s 30/10 financing model — and its national counterpart America Fast Forward — could help other cities around the country.

In 1998, change was afoot in North Carolina. In Mecklenburg County — home to Charlotte, the state’s largest city — voters approved a comprehensive expansion of transit service to be paid for with a half-cent sales tax increase.

Right away, the sales tax enabled the local transit agency to bolster its bus system and begin planning a network of commuter and light rail lines. By 2007, the agency had some accomplishments under its belt but also faced challenges. Although a group of residents had successfully placed a measure on a local ballot to repeal the dedicated transit sales tax, the effort was resoundingly defeated by a 70-30 margin by the residents of Mecklenburg County.

Only weeks later, the Blue Line, the first leg in the light rail system, opened to the public and quickly blew by Charlotte Area Transit Systems’ ridership projections — today, it averages around 20,000 weekday riders [pdf]. And from 2000 to 2010, Charlotte-area residents heartily embraced their growing transit system, as evidenced by a doubling of ridership from roughly 40,000 to 100,000 daily trips. From 2006 to 2008 Charlotte’s transit ridership grew by 47 percent, by far the largest rate of increase in the United States.

A new transit-oriented development along CATS' initial Blue Line.

A new transit-oriented development along CATS' initial Blue Line.

Charlotte has even reaped considerable dividends in the form of increased economic development. A recent study conducted by the Center for Transit-Oriented Development found that the Lynx Blue Line helped spur the construction of almost 10 million square feet of new commercial and residential development along the line. Compared to new transit corridors in Denver and Minneapolis, CTOD showed the Blue Line’s development performance to be the strongest of the three by a wide margin.

Indeed, by several measurements, the case is strong for further investments in Charlotte’s rapid transit system. But like many metro areas around the country, sales tax revenues have dropped considerably due to the recession. In 2010 Olaf Kinard, CATS Director of Marketing and Communications, described the situation to Yonah Freemark of Transport Politic (excerpt):

The issue that all transit systems and businesses are faced with is that the recession caused a significant drop in the revenues and thus a new base from which to grow from. CATS is currently pulling in sales tax revenue at a level equivalent to the 2004/2005 annual level. Projecting that new base out 10 years at a conservative rate of increase of approximately 3% creates a $350 million difference from the 2006 projects during the same time.”

A multi-modal CATS transit stop.

A multi-modal CATS transit stop.

In our conversations with CATS officials, they shared information about their transit program generally, but declined to discuss America Fast Forward in detail or endorse it.

At this time, it remains unclear whether AFF would benefit Charlotte. On the other hand, it’s safe to say this: AFF seems very unlikely to harm any existing transit agency. If Congress adopts AFF as law, federal loans and financing could be used to build transit now — rather than many years in the future.

And waiting to build transit until the distant future, after all, only seems to offer this: more years with fewer alternatives to driving, more traffic and higher construction prices.

Previously in this series: Denver’s efforts to rapidly add light rail, commuter rail and busways, and Salt Lake City’s effort to expand transit connections.

Study on better connecting LAX to Metro Rail to be considered by Metro Board

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[mappress mapid="9"]

It’s one of those planning questions that’s only — and I say ‘only’ sarcastically — several decades old: how to improve mass transit to Los Angeles International Airport?

A study to answer that question may soon be underway. The Metro Board of Directors on Thursday is scheduled to vote on a contract of about $4.7 million to STV/PB-ConnectLAX Joint Venture to conduct environmental studies for a transit project to connect the Green Line and Crenshaw/LAX Line to the terminals at LAX.

As the Metro staff report states, some of the alternatives to be considered — but not limited to — include light rail, bus rapid transit and an automated people mover. The city of Los Angeles agency that runs LAX is already studying a people mover as part of its airport modernization plans.

The Crenshaw/LAX light rail line will stop at Aviation and Century boulevards, to the east of the airport grounds (see the above map). It’s closer to LAX than the current Green Line Aviation/LAX station, but still about 1.8 miles to the Tom Bradley International Terminal. The Crenshaw/LAX Line will also allow westbound Green Line trains from Norwalk to turn north and continue to the Aviation/Century station on the new Crenshaw tracks.

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Metro's highway program ramps up for big year

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Expanding the network of HOV lanes in L.A. County is a big part of Metro's highway program.

Metro issued a long news release today about its highway program — specifically the many projects either underway or in the planning stage.

As the release states, Metro’s highway program is often overlooked because of the agency’s transit programs. But the highway program is important. The most recent Census Bureau numbers show that almost 84 percent of workers in Los Angeles County drive to work.

Future transit projects may reduce that statistic. In the meantime, however, it also appears likely that given the sprawling nature of the county, its jobs and the affordability of vehicles and gas, people aren’t going to stop driving any time soon.

Here’s the release:

While public attention remains fixed on the dozen bus and rail projects mandated by L.A. County voters with the passage of Measure R, the half cent sales tax for transportation, Metro is working feverishly on a parallel track to accelerate its highway program.

This year that work will pay off as the agency launches an astonishing 18 new projects worth nearly $1.4 billion.

The goals are lofty but realistic, said Doug Failing, executive director of highway programs who joined Metro in 2009 following 30 years at Caltrans, most of the last decade as L.A./Ventura counties district director.

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Next round of Westside Subway Extension meetings begin tonight, including live webcast

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From the project’s web page at metro.net:

Metro is continuing work on the Final EIS/EIR for the Westside Subway Extension. Please join us for the second round of community update meetings for this last planning phase of the project.  At these meetings, Metro will provide feedback from the January community meetings, updates on the geotechnical investigations, status of the Station Area Advisory Groups, latest information about the project cost estimates and the status of the Century City station. Whether or not you have followed the project so far, you are encouraged to provide input on Metro’s progress with the Westside Subway Extension at any of these upcoming meetings!

Agenda (content at all meetings will be identical)
6:00 – 6:15PM: Open House
6:15 – 7:00PM: Presentation
7:00 – 8:00PM: Public Comment

Monday, March 21
LACMA West – Terrace Room, 5th Floor
5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Served by Metro Lines 20, 720, 217 & 780

Validated vehicle parking is available in the Museum’s 6th Street underground garage.  Enter from 6th and Ogden.

Spanish & Korean translation will be provided.

For added convenience, we will offer a live webcast of this meeting that you can view from any computer simply by going to metro.net/westside.

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Second round of community meetings for Westside Subway Final EIR Planned in March

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Metro will be holding its second round of community update meetings for the Westside Subway Extension Project Final EIR March 21 through 29.  Among the updates will be a report on current geotechnical work and the status of the Century City Station. Here’s the news release with meeting dates:

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is holding community update meetings March 21 through 29 for the Westside Subway Extension Project currently going through its Final Environmental Impact Statement/Report (EIS/EIR) planning phase.

Metro will provide feedback from its January community meetings, updates on the project’s ongoing geotechnical investigations, status of Station Area Advisory Groups, as well as project cost estimates and the status of the Century City station.

All the meetings begin at 6 p.m. and will include a presentation followed by an opportunity for public input.  The content for all three meetings will be identical.  Members of the public are invited to participate in the meeting that is most convenient for them:

  • Monday, March 21, 6-8 p.m., LACMA West – Terrace Room, 5th Floor, 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036.  Served by Metro Lines 20, 720, 217 & 780. Validated vehicle parking is available in the museum’s 6th Street underground garage.  Enter from 6th and Ogden.  Spanish & Korean translation will be provided.  For added convenience, Metro will offer a live webcast of this meeting that can be viewed from any computer by visiting metro.net/westside. Continue reading →

Mayor Villaraigosa's testimony to federal transportation hearing

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Below is the written testimony submitted to the Congressional transportation funding hearing this morning by Los Angeles Mayor and Metro Board Member Antonio Villaraigosa.

I think it’s worth noting that both Mayor Villaraigosa and Supervisor Don Knabe — here is his testimony — emphasized that changes in federal law sought by Metro could help many local transit agencies that have passed sales taxes or bonds that could be used to repay low-interest federal loans.

In Metro’s case, the idea is to use federal loans and other financing to quickly build Measure R projects and then repay the loans with Measure R revenues, which flow into local coffers over many years. It’s called the 30/10 Initiative, although that name is specific to L.A. — the effort underway is actually much broader and could help many regions get transportation projects built now, not later.

Joint Field Hearing before the House Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

Written Testimony of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa
February 23, 2011

Thank you Chairman Boxer, Chairman Mica, Ranking Member Inhofe, Ranking Member
Rahall, and members of this joint committee for the opportunity to provide testimony at
the “Improving and Reforming our Nation’s Surface Transportation Programs to Support
Job Creation and the Economy” hearing.

America continues to suffer from high unemployment, and unemployment here in Los
Angeles is even higher. Simply put: Americans need jobs and cities and states across
the nation need a federal partnership to help us put people back to work, which can be
done through smart, innovative investments in our transportation infrastructure.
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Westside Subway Extension to study third option for Century City station

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As many of you know, the location of the eventual Century City station is one of the key remaining questions for the Westside Subway Extension. When the Metro Board adopted a route last fall – the “Locally Preferred Alternative” — they authorized Metro staff to continue studying two options.

One would place that station at Santa Monica and Avenue of the Stars. The other would be Constellation and Avenue of the Stars.

Now Metro staff are looking at a third option: a station location farther east on Santa Monica Boulevard that would potentially place the station entrance at the intersection with Century Park East.

Some quick background: Many in the city of Beverly Hills, especially the Beverly Hills Unified School District, to date have only supported the Santa Monica Boulevard/Avenue of the Stars option. Tunnels to reach this location would travel under Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevards.

The Constellation Station option has been a part of planning for the Westside Subway Extension since 2007 and arose from public comments asking Metro to look at placing the station more in the heart of Century City, closer to the many buildings and jobs at that destination. The tunnels to reach this station would need to go under residential streets and under Beverly Hills High School property – which many residents and the School District say they oppose. (With either option, tunnels would still travel below many Westwood area homes in neighborhoods between the Century City and Westwood/UCLA stations).

The problem is that the Santa Monica/Avenue of the Stars station, according to Metro staff, may be directly above the Santa Monica Fault. If that is determined to be the case, it would create special significant seismic risks and challenges for subway engineers and builders.

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Metro to begin "conversation" with the public over traffic created by the 710 gap

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Click above to see a larger version.

In 2008, Los Angeles County voters approved the Measure R sales tax increase — and, along with it, a long list of transit and road projects to be funded by the half-penny hike. One of those projects: improving traffic in the area of the 4.5-mile gap in the 710 freeway between Alhambra and Pasadena.

On Feb. 15, a series of 18 public meetings will begin and continue through the end of March. Metro is billing the meetings as a chance to have a “conversation” with the public about the 710 gap, its history and possible solutions. The meetings, too, are the start of a new process to study what project — if any — might help traffic.

Some quick background: The 710 freeway opened between Long Beach and Valley Boulevard on the Alhambra/Los Angeles border in 1965. The goal, at the time, was to complete the freeway to Pasadena but controversy and lawsuits stopped it from happening, leaving a 4.5-mile gap between the 710 and a planned junction with the 210 and 134 freeways in Pasadena.

Not surprisingly, traffic has diverted to other roads, including surface streets in Alhambra, Los Angeles, South Pasadena and Pasadena.

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Metro Board of Directors take action on several items

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The Board of Directors met this morning in downtown Los Angeles. The agenda was on the short side due to the start of the new year. Here are three notable actions taken by the Board:

•(Item 21) The Board adopted a policy to better manage and track costs of Measure R projects. The basic idea is to track spending on early Measure R projects to avoid cost overruns so that money will be left for later Measure R projects.

•(Item 24) The Board approved a policy to create two parallel processes to accept bids for new light rail cars. One process would follow guidelines to get get federal funds for the cars; the other would follow a process detailed under current Metro guidelines.

•(Item 26) The Board decided to extend a contract for 30 days with the firm of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips for lobbying the federal government in Washington D.C. at the cost of $51,500 per month. Metro staff had recommended not exercising a six-month option for performance issues. An amendment by Director John Fasana asked for the 30-day option along with a report by staff on issues involved with the contract.