BOARD UNANIMOUSLY APPROVES REQUEST TO PURSUE FUNDING CONSISTENT WITH PRIORITIES OF THE MTA'S LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PROJECT

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 1, 2009                           Contact              Aurelio Rojas 213-280-6579

                                                                                                James Bolden 213-200-5314

 

BOARD UNANIMOUSLY APPROVES REQUEST TO PURSUE FUNDING CONSISTENT WITH PRIORITIES OF THE MTA’S LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PROJECT 

 

LOS ANGELES – The Board of Supervisors today unanimously approved a request by Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas directing County officials to work with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to pursue additional federal funding for the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor and the Gold Line Foothill Extension Project.

 

Supervisor Ridley-Thomas’ motion is aimed at ensuring that the MTA’s Long Range Transportation Plan provides regional equity and an appropriate balance of projects and priorities.

 

“The motion addresses funding gaps in the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor and the Gold Line Foothill Extension Project budgets,“ Supervisor Ridley-Thomas said. 

 

The Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor project budget is currently $1.7 billion, but residents in the community have identified several concerns regarding public safety and economic impacts.  In order to mitigate these issues, the total project budget should include an additional $485 million.

 

The Gold Line Foothill Extension Project budget, defined by state and county laws as extending from the current terminus in Pasadena to the Claremont/Los Angeles County line, has a funding gap of $400 million.

 

The long-range plan identifies the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor and Gold Line Foothill Extension as first priorities for non-New Starts federal funding and the downtown Regional Connector and Westside Subway Extension as priorities for federal funding under the New Starts program. There is also a major highway element in the plan.

 

Supervisor Ridley-Thomas’ motion directs the County’s Chief Executive Officer to  work with MTA staff to procure federal funding consistent with the priorities of the  long-range transportation plan.

 

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