Category Archives: Policy & Funding

About 8,000 people rode Expo Line to USC game on Saturday

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Fans en route to the USC game on Saturday on the Expo Line. Photo by Marc Littman/Metro.

The ridership numbers from Metro are in and here’s the skinny: an estimated 8,000 people rode the Expo Line on Saturday to and from USC’s home opener against the University of Hawaii at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

In addition, Metro estimates that 4,000 to 6,000 of those fans reached or traveled from the Expo Line via other Metro buses or trains. In total, there were about 22,000 boardings on Metro on Saturday related to the game.

USC is listing the attendance at the game at 93,607, which means that about 8.5 percent of those who went to the game were delivered there by the Expo Line.

The next USC home game is Saturday, Sept. 22, against Cal. The game time has yet to be announced.

All structural work complete for I-210 bridge for Gold Line Foothill Extension!

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Here's the news release issued today by the Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority, which is building the 11.5-mile line from eastern Pasadena to the Azusa/Glendora border:

MONROVIA, Calif. – After more than one year of intense activity, the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority (Construction Authority) announced today that all structural work has been completed on the I-210 Gold Line Bridge. This announcement follows the recent completion of post-tensioning activities (internal strengthening of the structure through tensioning of supportive steel bands) and grouting of all internal ducts – the last steps in the process to complete the structural elements of the 584-linear foot, $18.6 million rail bridge.

“The bridge can now stand on its own,” said Construction Authority CEO Habib F. Balian. “This is an important milestone in our progress to complete the bridge, and we commend Skanska USA for their hard work and ability to meet the project deadlines while providing excellent craftsmanship.”

With the structure now fully secure on its own, the temporary support structure will now be removed. The “falsework,” which was installed in a series of nighttime closures in February and March 2012, has supported the bridge while under construction. Up to 20 nighttime closures of the eastbound I-210 Freeway will take place over the next six weeks to safely remove this temporary structure.

“The removal of the falsework is even more challenging than the installation,” said Balian. “When Skanska installed the support structure there was nothing around. Now they need to work around the bridge, as well as over an active freeway.”

To safeguard the traveling public, full closures of the eastbound I-210 Freeway are planned. For each of these consecutive closures, the eastbound I-210 Freeway will be closed between Baldwin and Santa Anita Aves. from Midnight until 5:00 a.m. The first closures will occur starting late Tuesday, Sept. 4, and include closures on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Closures will continue the following week, starting late Sunday, Sept. 9, and continue through early morning Friday, Sept. 14. Additional dates will be announced as they are scheduled, with work expected to continue through mid-October.

“We understand that these closures can be inconvenient and we appreciate the community’s patience,” added Balian. “We encourage motorists and truckers who can use other routes to do so.”

When finished, the bridge will feature columns designed to resemble Native American baskets, in recognition of the first residents of the area – the Gabrieleno/Tongva Tribe. The baskets are under development now, and will be installed after the falsework removal process is complete.

The bridge is on schedule to be completed in December 2012. In addition to the upcoming basket installation, additional work to be completed on the bridge includes: concrete placement for the barrier walls on either side of the deck, building retaining walls on the ingress and egress to the bridge, landscaping and lighting. In December, the bridge will be turned over to the Construction Authority, and future work to add the utilities, track and other light rail features.

To learn more or receive construction alerts and project updates, sign-up at: http://www.foothillextension.org/ or follow the project on Facebook and Twitter. To receive text alerts about freeway closures, text from your cell phone “GOLDLINENEWS” to 888777.

About the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority (Construction Authority)

The Construction Authority is an independent transportation planning and construction agency created in 1999 by the California State Legislature. Its purpose is to extend the Metro Gold Line light rail line from Union Station to Montclair, along the foothills of the San Gabriel Valley. The Construction Authority built the initial segment from Union Station to Pasadena and is underway on the Gold Line Foothill Extension. The Foothill Extension is a nearly $1.6 billion extension that will connect Pasadena to Montclair in two construction segments. The first segment, Pasadena to Azusa, is funded by Los Angeles County’s Measure R and currently underway. The 11.5-mile Pasadena to Azusa segment will be completed in late 2015 and includes future stations in the cities of Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale and Azusa. Three design-build contracts, totaling more than $500 million will be overseen by the Construction Authority to complete the Pasadena to Azusa segment, including the $18.6 million I-210 Gold Line Bridge, awarded to Skanska USA in June 2010 and a $486 million contract awarded in July 2011 to Foothill Transit Constructors (FTC). The Azusa to Montclair segment is currently undergoing final environmental review.

For more information, visit: www.foothillextension.org.

 

State allocates $60 million to Metrolink to upgrade locomotives and cab cars

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Here’s the news release from Metrolink:

Los Angeles- At its August 22 meeting, the California Transportation Commission (CTC) allocated $60 million in Proposition 1 A bond funds to help pay for much-needed upgrades to Metrolink’s fleet of locomotives and coach cars. This program will allow Metrolink to upgrade between 21 and 30 locomotives and 44-55 passenger cars either by purchasing new equipment or rehabilitating existing equipment. Their mechanical and communications systems will be overhauled and new seats and flooring will be installed. Luggage racks, more bike racks and higher powered HVAC systems are planned to be added to accommodate longer trips anticipated as part of the High Speed Rail project.

“These funds will allow Metrolink to serve the region better in many ways. We can move more people, will be more environmentally-friendly and will have fewer delays caused by older equipment,” said Metrolink Board Chair Richard Katz. “This is the biggest capacity-adding project in the agency’s history. It would not be possible without these funds.”

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New joint timetable available for regional commuter rail and Amtrak

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As you may know, there are a variety of passenger trains rolling throughout Southern California: Metrolink in the L.A. metro area, the Coaster and Sprinter in San Diego County and Amtrak, the national railroad connecting cities in California to the rest of the U.S.

The four different railroads have historically each maintained their own timetables, making it tricky for Jane Citizen to quickly figure out what might be the quickest or most convenient way to take a train from here-to-there.

To remedy that issue, the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridors Agency has created a timetable that covers all four railroads. Neat idea, people! Outside of transit circles, the agency is a bit obscure but their core mission is easy to understand: improve regional rail service.

Here’s the new timetable (pdf download here) with a hat tip to Dana Gabbard at L.A. Streetsblog:

Joint Timetable

On Transportation column August 24 edition: 710 gap studies and Dodger Stadium traffic

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710 GAP STUDY: I know some readers believe that my recent post about the ongoing 710 study was perhaps one of the worst things ever published on the internet. And that I was condescending, to boot.

Here’s one recent email from a reader:

More window dressing to try and cajole the effected groups. This is never going to fly. We will fight you every step of the way.

I certainly don’t intend to be condescending. On the other hand, I did mean to as forcefully as possible set the record straight that the 710 gap project is far from a settled issue despite what some people are saying. That was demonstrated Thursday when Metro announced that seven of 12 project alternatives were being dropped from the ongoing study, including two that involved roads going through or under the San Rafael neighborhood of Pasadena.

Again, I want to emphasize: No project has been selected by the Metro Board of Directors, who are the ultimate deciders. And the Board has a long, rich history of acting independently of Metro staff.

I think the problem with the 710 study goes back to the very nature of the project. Oftentimes when Metro launches a project, there’s a particular set of alternatives that the agency wants to study. So there’s a starting point that’s easy to grasp–for example, Metro wants to study extending the subway deeper into the Westside as well as possible alternatives.

In the case of the 710 gap studies, the agency started from scratch with — I believe — the noble idea that it would completely reconsider the 710 gap problem and potential solutions for it. Without anything specific on the table, it was naturally hard to attract much attention to the early planning efforts.

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State Senate approves bill that would allow Measure J to go to L.A. County voters

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Below is the update from Metro’s government relations staff. The bill, AB 1446 ( BY D-Mike Feuer), allows Metro to ask voters to consider extending the Measure R half-cent sales tax for 30 years beyond its mid-2039 expiration date in order to try to accelerate transit and road projects. 

The update:

Today, the California State Senate voted 24-13 to pass AB 1446 (Feuer). Senator Alex Padilla testified on the benefits of an extension of Measure R. Senator Bob Huff spoke in opposition to the bill. The bill now moves onto the Governor’s desk for signature.

 

It will be called Measure J on the Nov. 6 ballot if the bill is signed by Gov. Jerry Brown. Here’s the ballot language. The bill was approved by the Assembly earlier this year but must go back for a routine concurrence vote.

July ridership numbers — Expo Line continues to make gains

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Looks like a trend we’ve seen in recent months continues: Metro Rail ridership continues to increase while systemwide bus ridership is flat. The Expo Line continues to increase with more than 18,000 average weekday boardings.

That’s not a huge surprise with July being the first month that the full first phase was open between downtown L.A. and Culver City.

Below are the July numbers, which on the rail side are tabulated over the prior several months and then crunched to come up with the monthly numbers:

 Ridership Statistics

 Bus – Directly Operated

July 2012 July 2011 July 2010
Average Weekday Boardings 1,032,747 1,052,088 1,058,021
Average Saturday Boardings 718,137 731,024 722,957
Average Sunday and Holiday Boardings 539,825 536,218 536,789
Total Calendar Month Boardings 27,799,185 27,914,188 28,517,171

 

Directly operated bus ridership includes Orange and Silver Line ridership.

 

Bus – Contract

 

July 2012 July 2011 July 2010
Average Weekday Boardings 42,578 41,489 42,239
Average Saturday Boardings 25,227 24,243 24,418
Average Sunday and Holiday Boardings 19,101 18,170 18,633
Total Calendar Month Boardings 1,109,651 1,060,013 1,102,262

 

Bus – Systemwide

 

July 2012 July 2011 July 2010
Average Weekday Boardings 1,075,325 1,093,577 1,100,260
Average Saturday Boardings 743,364 755,267 747,375
Average Sunday and Holiday Boardings 558,926 554,388 555,422
Total Calendar Month Boardings 28,908,836 28,974,201 29,619,433

 

Directly operated bus ridership includes Orange and Silver Line ridership.

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Measure R extension designated as Measure J on November 6 ballot

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The Los Angeles County Registrar on Friday officially approved the Measure J title to the Metro-sponsored ballot measure asking county voters to extend the Measure R half-cent sales tax for 30 years – from mid-2039 to mid-2069. Here’s the ballot language that will appear on the Nov. 6 ballot:

Accelerating Traffic Relief, Job Creation.
To advance Los Angeles County’s traffic relief, economic growth/ job creation, by accelerating construction of light rail/ subway/ airport connections within five years not twenty; funding countywide freeway traffic flow/ safety /bridge improvements, pothole repair; keeping senior/ student/ disabled fares low; Shall Los Angeles County’s voter-approved one-half cent traffic relief sales tax continue, without tax rate increase, for another 30 years or until voters decide to end it, with audits/ keeping funds local?

Metro reaches three-year deal with ATU

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Here’s the announcement:

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) reached a 3-year contract with the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), representing over 2,300 bus and rail maintenance employees.

“Metro is pleased to announce that it has reached a 3-year agreement with the ATU, which includes a very modest increase in compensation and adjustments to the health and welfare program for union workers,” said Metro General Manager Employee and Labor Relations Richard Hunt.

Metro and ATU reached a tentative agreement last Tuesday. ATU membership ratified the proposed contract Wednesday night and now the contract will be presented to the Metro Board of Directors for its approval at the Thursday, September 27 meeting.