Metro announced today that it has been selected to receive $2 million in Federal Transit Administration funding to begin two new transportation projects: an alternatives analysis for a premium transit service on Van Nuys Boulevard and work to improve the agency’s transit forecasting model. See the FTA’s announcement. And here [continue reading]
Here are three items that were sent this afternoon from Metro’s government relations staff to the Metro Board of Directors. The first two relate to the pursuit of federal funds to help build the Westside Subway Extension and the Regional Connector projects: Senators Feinstein and Boxer and Congressman Waxman Urge [continue reading]
This is a new feature for The Source in which I express actual opinions while working for government. Members of the media: please take any of these ideas and run with them — we could use the coverage! 1. Like many readers, I was pleased to read in a recent [continue reading]
Despite a California shortfall of $25 billion and a national debt of around $13.7 trillion, there’s good news for L.A. County, according to Metro Board Chair and L.A. County Supervisor Don Knabe. And a chunk of that good news relates to transit. Well, transit and jobs. In his State of [continue reading]
This week, I decided to revisit the Census Bureau’s Local Employment Dynamics database to get a sense of which job centers are served by local or commuter rail in Los Angeles County. Many big job centers (illustrated by the darker shades of blue in the map above) are served by [continue reading]
The final environmental impact report for rush hour bus lanes on parts of Wilshire Boulevard was initially approved by the Metro Board of Directors on Thursday, with a roughly one-mile stretch in the Condo Canyon area of Westwood removed from the project. Board Member Mark Ridley-Thomas abstained from the vote. [continue reading]
The next step for planning and engineering the Westside Subway Extension — including deciding the exact route the project will ultimately take through Beverly Hills, Century City and Westwood — begins next week when Metro contractors begin conducting soil, seismic, noise and vibration tests as part of final environmental review [continue reading]
Among the actions taken so far today by the Metro Board of Directors at their meeting: •(Item 6) The Board approved a $28-million increase to the budget for the first phase of the Expo Line from downtown L.A. to Culver City, bringing it to $928 million. Staff report •(Item 3) [continue reading]
This is a new feature for The Source in which I express actual opinions while working for government. Members of the media: please take any of these ideas and run with them — we could use the coverage! 1. I’m still a little surprised that of all the media stories [continue reading]
At their meeting on Thursday, the Metro Board of Directors will be asked to increase the budget of the first phase of Expo Line by $28 million to settle claims made by the design-build contractor. If the increase is approved, the total cost of the Expo Line project would rise [continue reading]
