LACMTA receives federal grant, loan agreements for subway project; schedules advisory group meeting

Yesterday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced $2.1 billion in federal grant and loan agreements to help the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) build the 3.9-mile Purple Line Extension project, which will extend the subway line from downtown Los Angeles to Beverly Hills.

LACMTA will receive $1.25 billion in construction grant funds from the Federal Transit Administration's Capital Investment Grant program, and up to $856 million from the federal Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan program, U.S. Department of Transportation officials said in a press release.

"The continued expansion of Los Angeles' public transportation system is vitally important to millions of area residents who need reliable, affordable access to jobs, education, and other ladders of opportunity that this region has to offer," said Foxx.

The Westside Section 1 project — the first of three planned extensions of the Metro Purple Line subway — is expected to improve travel times and transit capacity from Beverly Hills to downtown Los Angeles, North Hollywood, Union Station, and other county communities. The project includes three new underground stations and 34 heavy rail vehicles to augment the existing fleet. LACMTA estimates that project construction will create more than 22,000 jobs. The extension is expected to open in 2024 and provide more than 20,000 trips daily.

Meanwhile, LACMTA officials announced they will hold an advisory group meeting for the first section of the Purple Line Extension project on May 27.

LACMTA will provide an overview of anticipated construction-related noise and vibration, and background on upcoming pre-construction surveys for properties along the alignment of the first nearly four-mile subway segment between Wilshire/Western and La Cienega.

The advisory group's members include individuals representing the residents, businesses, property owners and key institutions around each of the three stations in the project's first section.