A few items of possible interest to you:

•The Board received-and-filed this staff report on construction safety on the Crenshaw/LAX Line project, with Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas expressing skepticism that the contractor will quickly improve its safety program.

•The Board approved committing up to $10.8 million in Metro funds toward the Rail to River pedestrian/bike path project linking the Crenshaw/LAX Line, Blue Line and Los Angeles River using the old Harbor Subdivision rail corridor. The money would be used to try to attract matching funds from the state and federal government. Supervisor Don Knabe abstained from the vote, saying that he supports the project but is concerned that Metro would have to take funds from other projects in order to build it. Staff report

•The Board approved a $22-million cost increase for the Southwest Yard project, which would add a light rail vehicle maintenance yard adjacent to the Crenshaw/LAX Line. The total budget for the project is now $307.2 million. The cost increase, according to the staff report, is due to bids from prospective contractors coming in higher than expected. Metro CEO Phil Washington said that the agency needs to do a better job of analyzing construction costs ahead of time in order to better predict project budgets.

•The Board approved a track configuration on the Crenshaw/LAX Line that will accommodate the future Aviation/96th Street station where passengers will be able to transfer to the LAX people mover. The new track configuration will be built as part of the Crenshaw/LAX Line project and could result in minor delays — but will be ready to accommodate the new platforms that are part of the future Aviation/96th Street Station that will open when the people mover is completed (LAX’s currently scheduled date to finish building the project is 2023). Staff report