LACMTA slates public hearing for $5.5 billion FY2015 budget

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) will host a public hearing May 14 on the agency's proposed $5.5 billion fiscal-year 2015 budget.

The budget demonstrates a "continued commitment to the largest highway and rail building program in America," LACMTA officials said in a press release. It proposes $283.4 million in maintenance expenditures, which would include $50 million for rail improvements on the Blue Line and Red Line subway.

The budget would "enhance many services while keeping fares at low levels," but a proposed fare increased to eliminate a projected $36.8 million operating budget deficit by FY2017 will be considered at the LACMTA's board meeting on May 22, agency officials said.

The FY2015 budget contains $48.7 million to safety and security issues, such as improvements to cameras and video monitoring, security kiosks at various rail stations, signal system rehabilitation on the Metro Blue and Green lines, and pedestrian safety improvements on the Metro Red Line with an underpass and overpass bridge planned for Universal City and North Hollywood stations.

In FY15, LACMTA expects to have five major rail projects either under construction or prepared to begin, including the Metro Gold Line extension to Azusa, the Metro Expo Line extension to Santa Monica, the Crenshaw/LAX Line and the Regional Connector.
The Metro Purple Line extension to Westwood has cleared major legal hurdles and is expected to receive a federal full funding grant agreement by mid-May, agency officials said.