FTA set to award $1B grant to Inglewood Transit Connector

The Federal Transit Administration has indicated it will award a more than $1 billion grant to the Inglewood Transit Connector (ITC) project, covering 50% of the anticipated total cost.

The project is set to receive $1,009,430,998 from the FTA's Capital Investment Grant program, Inglewood city officials officials last week in a press release. The project is just beginning the engineering phase of development.

The FTA's indication that it will award the CIG grant is the second-to-last step in the FTA's rigorous project evaluation process, city officials said. The ITC is a proposed 1.6-mile automated people mover that is intended to address a "first/last" mile transportation gap between the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (L.A. Metro) K Line and Inglewood tourism locations such as the Kia Forum, Sofi Stadium, YouTube Theater, the Intuit Dome, and nearby housing and commercial destinations.

The project is expected to connect Inglewood residents to the L.A. Metro system. It is expected to have the capability to carry up to 11,000 riders per hour.

"By signaling their commitment to invest significantly in our project, the federal government is recognizing the importance of providing better transportation options for our residents and to everyone in our region who wants to work work and visit our city," said Inglewood Mayor James Butts in a press release.

To date, the project has already secured $873 million in local, state and federal funds. The city of Inglewood and the Inglewood Transit Connector Joint Powers Authority (JPA) will work to leverage those committed funds and the CIG grant to close a narrowing gap in construction, maintenance and operating costs, city officials said.

In addition to securing the federal funds, the ITC team is in the process of securing a team to implement the project.  Three prequalified teams are now preparing bids. The winner is expected to be chosen this summer.