Category Archives: Projects

Obama Administration endorses America Fast Forward bonds program

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Some outstanding news today: President Obama has endorsed the America Fast Forward bonds proposal as part of his plan to improve the nation's infrastructure. The White House fact sheet is below and here's the update from Metro's government relations staff:

This morning, the White House released a fact sheet concerning President Obama's “Plan to Make America a Magnet for Jobs by Investing in Infrastructure.” This fact sheet contains a 7-point plan, which includes a provision to enact America Fast Forward Bonds.The document also includes a provision to implement the newly expanded TIFIA program (part of our Board-approved Federal Legislative program), which was included last year in MAP-21's America Fast Forward section. Our Government Relations team will continue to work with the Obama Administration (both at the White House and USDOT) and both Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives to advance our Board-approved Federal Legislative Program. Please also find here a brochure on our America Fast Forward Transportation Bond initiative that was previously shared with all Board members.

America Fast Forward (AFF) is an initiative by Metro and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to expand transportation funding in order to accelerate projects here in Los Angeles County and around the nation. AFF has two parts: the first is an expanded federal loan program that Congress adopted last year; it features government-backed low-interest loans.

The other part is a bond program that would provide very low-cost bonds to transportation agencies in exchange for tax credits to those who sell the bonds. The above graphic explains it best.

As the White House notes, the AFF bond program is modeled on the Build America Bonds that were part of the stimulus bill in 2009 to help revive the country's economy. The White argues that AFF bonds would attract new capital for transportation projects and would better distribute funds throughout the U.S.

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Construction throughout 11.5-mile alignment of Gold Line Foothill Extension; here are some pics and details

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The following is the latest e-news from the Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority, the agency building the 11.5-mile project that will extend the Gold Line from eastern Pasadena to the Azusa/Glendora border. The project also includes a new rail maintenance facility in Monrovia. 

The design-build team, Foothill Transit Constructors (FTC), is on schedule to have the project’s design work substantially complete next month. The majority of the nearly 100 design packages have been “Approved for Construction,” and the remaining packages are nearing 100% design.

Significant construction is now well underway throughout the corridor. Bridge construction, utility relocation, grade crossing work, and even station construction can be seen at different points along the 11.5-miles.

Some of these activities require street closures and other impactful activities. Stay updated and don’t get surprised by construction!

Sign up to receive construction e-notices at http://www.foothillextension.org.

Construction Highlights
A bridge begins taking shape in Azusa.

A bridge begins taking shape in Azusa.

Below is a highlight of some of the construction activities now underway:

Azusa

Utility relocation and mass grading is happening along the entire city of Azusa corridor, and the FTC team broke ground on the first major at-grade crossing in the city yesterday. Dalton Avenue will be closed for approximately six weeks to complete the crossing improvements. Click here to view the construction notice.

Additionally, to accommodate one freight track and two light rail tracks in the future, nine bridges at three crossings are also under construction in Azusa. Palm Drive is closed to thru-traffic for bridge work until May, and Foothill Boulevard has been reduced to one lane in each direction at the bridge crossing until September. Above is a photo of work on the bridge abutments at Citrus Ave.

Duarte
The Duarte station is the first of six new stations to break ground, and work continues on the nearby Highland Avenue crossing until early March. (Duarte station-work is shown below).

Foothill2

Arcadia
Demolition of the old bridge abutments at Colorado Blvd is now complete, and work is underway on construction of the new dual-track bridge over this heavily-used street in the city. Colorado Blvd remains closed to thru-traffic until mid-April.

Gold Line Operations Campus Update

Mass grading is now complete for the 24-acre, $160 million Gold Line Operations Campus in Monrovia. FTC crews are now focused on utility relocation and foundation work on the main building. Utility relocation on streets surrounding the campus is also on-going.

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Azusa to Montclair Update:

Last week, the Construction Authority published the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the proposed 12.6-mile Foothill Extension from Azusa to Montclair. The Final EIR includes responses to comments received on the Draft EIR. as well as updates to the report itself. The Final EIR is posted on the Construction Authority website,www.foothillextension.org.

The Construction Authority Board of Directors will consider certification of the Final EIR and project approval at their upcoming meeting on Wednesday, February 27, 2013. The meeting will take place starting at 7 p.m. at the Construction Authority Offices, 406 E. Huntington Drive, Monrovia, CA 91016. In the meantime, questions can be directed to Lisa Levy Buch, Director of Public Affairs at  (626) 305-7004 orllevybuch@foothillextension.org.


A Few Easy Ways to Stay Updated:

Have you dropped by a public information office lately? If not, come by! There are three offices available to the community for questions or comments:

Arcadia
400 N Santa Anita Ave, Suite 101-B, Arcadia, CA 91006
(Northeast corner of Santa Anita Ave. and La Porte St.)
Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays ONLY:  8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Monrovia
406 E. Huntington Drive, Suite 202, Monrovia, CA 91016
(Construction Authority Offices)
Hours: Mondays through Friday:  8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Azusa
1300 W. Optical Drive, Suite 500, Azusa, CA 91702
Hours: Mondays through Friday:  8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Other Community Resources Include:

Other Community Resources Include:

Photos from Saturday night construction work on the Blue Line-Expo Line junction

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photo 2 (1)

Here are a pair of photos of work on the Blue Line-Expo Line junction on Saturday night. In the first photo, crews cutting a section of the rail to realign and in the second photo crews are working to secure newly aligned rails with heat activated epoxy. Work is going well — test trains are expected to run over the junction late this afternoon.

The work is the reason that the Blue Line is not running this weekend between 7th/Metro Center and the Grand station and the Expo Line is not running between 7th/Metro Center and the 23rd Street station. Bus shuttles are replacing trains on both lines.

For more about the work being performed, here’s a Source post from Friday. The service alert for the Blue and Expo lines is after the jump.

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Photos of track work underway this weekend at junction of Blue and Expo lines

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Photos by Stephen Tu/Metro.

Photos by Stephen Tu/Metro.

The photos above, taken early Saturday afternoon, show the replaced diamond frog at the junction of the Blue Line and Expo Line tracks at Washington and Flower in downtown L.A. Metro officials said Saturday that work is proceeding according to schedule.

The work is the reason that the Blue Line is not running this weekend between 7th/Metro Center and the Grand station and the Expo Line is not running between 7th/Metro Center and the 23rd Street station. Bus shuttles are replacing trains on both lines.

For more about the work being performed, here’s a Source post from Friday. The service alert for the Blue and Expo lines is after the jump.

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To accelerate the building of 13.5 miles of HOV lanes on I-5 in Santa Clarita area, Metro proposes charging tolls for vehicles with one or two occupants to use the lanes

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I5_project_map

Metro this month is providing key details on plans to accelerate an important Measure R project for northern Los Angeles County. The project would add carpool lanes for 13.5 miles in both directions to Interstate 5 through the Santa Clarita area. A toll for vehicles with one or two occupants (at peak hours only for vehicles with two occupants) would be charged to use the lanes — with the tolls being used to finance the construction of the carpool lanes about 30 years earlier than planned in Metro's long-range plan.

There's a lot more detail in the Q & A that follows in the post. The absolute crucial details: the lanes would be managed to maintain speeds of at least 45 mph, the number of general traffic lanes would remain the same and the new lanes will add capacity to the freeway, especially when coupled with the new truck lanes being built on either side of the Newhall Pass.

There are two community meetings scheduled this month to discuss the project. The public can ask questions and provide feedback. Content at all meetings will be identical; please attend the location most convenient for you. All meetings are open to the public and we urge you to invite your friends and neighbors.

Tuesday, February 26th, 2013, 6-8 PM
Sports Complex – City of Santa Clarita
20880 Centre Pointe Pkwy
Santa Clarita, CA 91350
Served by Santa Clarita Transit Lines 5 and 6

Thursday, February 28, 2013, 6-8 PM
Rancho Pico Junior High School
26250 Valencia Bl
Stevenson Ranch, CA 91381
Served by Santa Clarita Transit Line 7

Below is the Q&A on the project with a lot more detail and there's a short Power Point on the project after the jump. I'm interested in your thoughts on the project, particularly if you live in Santa Clarita or elsewhere in northern L.A. County.

What exactly is the project proposing to do?

The project would use a public-private partnership to build one carpool/toll lane in each direction to the I-5 freeway for 13.5 miles between the 14 freeway and Parker Road. A private firm would be hired to help fund, build and manage the lanes and be paid back with toll revenue. That would allow the project to be completed by 2019 instead of 2040 or later.

This stretch of freeway includes some of the fastest-growing areas in Southern California — the city of Santa Clarita has gone from 79,000 people in 1979 to more than 201,000 in 2012 and is expected to add 50,000 more people in the next 30 years, not including growth in the unincorporated parts of the Santa Clarita Valley. Not surprisingly, traffic congestion in the Santa Clarita Valley and surrounding areas has worsened; the average one-way commute time of 32.7 minutes for Santa Clarita residents is among the highest in Los Angeles County.

The carpool/toll lane will be used for free by those in cars with three or more passengers. Buses, van pools and motorcycles would also use the lanes for free. Cars with two people will be able to use the lanes for free outside of peak hours — during peak hours they will be charged a toll. Single motorists will be charged a toll at all times.

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Work crews to perform track work at rail junction at Washington/Flower in downtown L.A. this weekend

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Junction

Work crews on Friday night are set to begin making repairs to the rail junction at Washington and Flower in downtown Los Angeles. The work will require all trains to be replaced with shuttle buses for Expo Line and Blue Line riders traveling between 7th/Metro Center, Pico, 23rd Street and Grand Stations over the entire weekend (the service alert is posted after the jump). Normal train service on both lines in this area is scheduled to resume at the opening of service on Monday morning, Feb. 18.

Exposition Construction Authority crews will be adjusting the track gauge to improve the movement of Blue Line trains turning from Flower to Washington. When completed, the work is expected to correct excessive wear on some train parts and improve the overall maintainability of the track components at this location.

Up to this point, the condition has required frequent monitoring and inspections until a permanent solution could be designed and implemented. At no time has safety been compromised. Likewise, after the work this weekend, monitoring will continue and trains will continue to travel through the junction at  reduced speeds until Metro, the California Public Utilities Commission and the Expo Line Construction Authority are certain the track adjustments have corrected the problem.

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Construction notice: upcoming utility relocation work for Regional Connector on 2nd, Hill, Broadway, Spring and Main

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Click above to see larger.

Click above to see larger.

Good to see more work underway. The Connector will tie together the Gold, Blue and Expo lines in downtown Los Angeles in order to speed up trips through downtown and reduce transfers. More about the project here.

Countdown to I-10 Metro ExpressLanes: understanding the differences between the 10 and the 110 ExpressLanes

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130214_Toll_Entry_Map

The ExpressLanes on the 10 freeway are scheduled to open at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23, weather permitting. While the concept is the same as the existing ExpressLanes on the 110 freeway, there are some similarities and differences.

The big similarity: if you plan to use the lanes in a private vehicle (i.e., not a bus), you will need to have a FasTrak transponder. They can be obtained online at www.metroexpresslanes.net, through AAA or at Costco and Albertsons. If you get a transponder at AAA, Costco or Albertsons, please click here to complete the registration process.

ExpressLanes staff put together this handy list to help explain those differences:

•The 10 and the 110 corridors have different minimum occupancy requirements as a carpool lane that do not change for the conversion to ExpressLanes. The 110 allows vehicles with two or more people to travel toll-free 24/7; however the 10 allows three or more passengers to travel toll free 24/7.

Two person carpools using the 10 ExpressLanes pay a toll during rush hour (Monday through Friday 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., 4:00 p.m. -7:00 p.m.) but are not charged a toll during non-rush hour (Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m.to 4:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., and weekends). The overhead electronic signs will make it clear when tolls for two person carpoolers are in effect.

•The average toll will likely be different due to the differences in length and space available to toll payers. The 10 is longer (14 miles from Alameda Street in downtown L.A. to the 605 freeway in El Monte) and the 110 is shorter (11 miles from Adams Boulevard in downtown L.A. to the 91 freeway).

Metro has also added a second ExpressLane on the 10 (between the 605 and the 710) to provide nine new miles in each direction; the 110 already had two lanes in each direction for eight of its 11 miles. This lane is added through re-striping and did not take away any general purpose lanes.

•The number of entry and exit points are different:  the 10 ExpressLanes has four entrance points westbound and three entrance points eastbound while the 110 ExpressLanes has four entrance points northbound and six entrance points southbound. The exit and entry points are shown on the above map.

•Metro ExpressLanes is an exciting new endeavor. But like all new undertakings, it will take some time to become familiar with how it works, and it will take time before we experience the full benefits and rewards of this new traffic flow improvement project. We expect to see traffic flow enhancements and congestion reduction as the project progresses over time along with some immediate advantages such as new and more frequent transit service. Participant-adoption, and on-going feedback as a vital partner in this program will ensure its success as well as an improved travel experience for all commuters between the 110 and 10 freeways to downtown Los Angeles.

Metro overall ridership in January rises slightly over previous January

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The January ridership numbers for Metro are below.

The basic breakdown: overall Metro ridership is slightly up compared to Jan. 2012 (1,445,601 avg. weekday boardings compared to 1,408,380), rail ridership is significantly up from Jan. 2012 (358,967 avg. weekday boardings compared to 335,108 boardings last year) and bus ridership is slightly down (1,086,63 average weekday boardings compared to 1,101,282).

Expo Line ridership continues to climb with 24,175 weekday boardings in January, up from 23,193 boardings in December. Here are graphics showing ridership trends on Orange Line, Silver Line and all Metro Rail lines.

As for outside factors on ridership, New Year’s Day was on a Tuesday this year compared to a Sunday in 2012 — perhaps not as many people worked the first week of January this year. Weather-wise, this January was about the same as last year rain-wise — with not much precipitation.

Bus Ridership Estimates

Bus – Directly Operated

Jan. 2013 Jan. 2012 Jan. 2011
Average Weekday Boardings 1,045,108 1,058,236 1,045,828
Average Saturday Boardings 694,822 683,259 708,938
Average Sunday and Holiday Boardings 504,733 511,924 456,199
Total Calendar Month Boardings 28,295,329 28,027,536 27,535,334

Directly operated bus ridership includes Orange and Silver Line ridership.

Bus – Contract

Jan. 2013 Jan. 2012 Jan. 2011
Average Weekday Boardings 41,526 43,046 41,074
Average Saturday Boardings 24,194 22,752 23,810
Average Sunday and Holiday Boardings 16,105 16,935 14,681
Total Calendar Month Boardings 1,090,871 1,096,584 1,045,886

Bus – Systemwide

Jan. 2013 Jan. 2012 Jan. 2011
Average Weekday Boardings 1,086,634 1,101,282 1,086,902
Average Saturday Boardings 719,016 706,011 732,748
Average Sunday and Holiday Boardings 520,838 528,859 470,880
Total Calendar Month Boardings 29,386,200 29,124,120 28,581,220

Directly operated bus ridership includes Orange and Silver Line ridership.

Orange Line

Jan. 2013 Jan. 2012 Jan. 2011
Average Weekday Boardings 26,162 23,050 21,116
Average Saturday Boardings 16,488 13,999 13,082
Average Sunday and Holiday Boardings 12,357 10,777 9,271
Total Calendar Month Boardings 703,301 604,708 551,390

Silver Line

Jan. 2013 Jan. 2012 Jan. 2011
Average Weekday Boardings 12,422 10,601 8,049
Average Saturday Boardings 4,847 3,815 2,800
Average Sunday and Holiday Boardings 3,159 2,512 1,701
Total Calendar Month Boardings 308,467 252,953 190,435

Rail Ridership Estimates

Red/Purple Line

Jan. 2013 Jan. 2012 Jan. 2011
Average Weekday Boardings 158,328 144,854 143,634
Average Saturday Boardings 89,906 84,848 91,154
Average Sunday and Holiday Boardings 81,175 74,037 68,127
Total Calendar Month Boardings 4,248,725 3,825,552 3,789,697

Blue Line

Jan. 2013 Jan. 2012 Jan. 2011
Average Weekday Boardings 88,846 78,515 79,709
Average Saturday Boardings 55,857 58,344 49,464
Average Sunday and Holiday Boardings 55,515 50,849 40,998
Total Calendar Month Boardings 2,455,624 2,187,283 2,117,728

Blue Line estimates do not include Expo boardings.

Expo Line

Jan. 2013
Average Weekday Boardings 24,175
Average Saturday Boardings 17,534
Average Sunday and Holiday Boardings 14,501
Total Calendar Month Boardings 674,496    

Green Line

Jan. 2013 Jan. 2012 Jan. 2011
Average Weekday Boardings 45,141 42,600 40,891
Average Saturday Boardings 26,943 21,900 24,105
Average Sunday and Holiday Boardings 19,995 18,832 17,405
Total Calendar Month Boardings 1,200,855 1,095,196 1,059,557

Gold Line

Jan. 2013 Jan. 2012 Jan. 2011
Average Weekday Boardings 42,476 41,129 33,947
Average Saturday Boardings 22,286 25,893 22,705
Average Sunday and Holiday Boardings 15,077 23,426 22,633
Total Calendar Month Boardings 1,099,009 1,107,839 939,501

Rail Systemwide Ridership Estimates

Jan. 2013 Jan. 2012 Jan. 2011
Average Weekday Boardings 358,967 307,098 298,180
Average Saturday Boardings 212,526 190,986 187,428
Average Sunday and Holiday Boardings 186,264 167,143 149,163
Total Calendar Month Boardings 9,678,709 8,215,869 7,906,482

Includes Expo Line ridership.

Systemwide Ridership Estimates

Jan. 2013 Jan. 2012 Jan. 2011
Average Weekday Boardings 1,445,601 1,408,380 1,385,083
Average Saturday Boardings 931,543 896,997 920,177
Average Sunday and Holiday Boardings 707,101 696,002 620,044
Total Calendar Month Boardings 39,064,909 37,339,989 36,487,702

Explaining the other half of America Fast Forward: transportation bonds

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America Fast Forward Bonds

Click above to view larger.

Metro last year scored a win when Congress adopted part of the America Fast Forward initiative, expanding a federal loan program called TIFIA that offers low-interest, government backed loans.

Metro is now pushing Congress to adopt the other half of AFF, a bond program designed to raise money to accelerate transportation projects and create jobs.

Which might sound familiar. Everyone in Congress is always talking about job creation, including President Barack Obama in his State of the Union address on Tuesday. Metro believes AFF is a good way of tackling that issue while also dealing with a few others — expanding transit, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and ensuring that our infrastructure remains in good working order.

The bond program is a bit complex: it’s taken me a while to get my brain wrapped around it. The above graphic explains it well. In one sentence: those who invest in transportation bonds receive federal tax credits instead of interest, a good way for investors to lower their tax burden and a good way for transportation agencies to save on interest costs.

Another way of thinking about it: the program doesn’t ask the federal government to spend directly on transportation projects. It does, however, ask the feds to forgo some tax revenues.

Metro is hoping to get the bond and loan program enshrined in the next multi-year federal transportation spending bill. The current bill expires in 2014, meaning a new bill will hopefully be approved by Congress within the next year.