$67 Million for Metro Gold Line

Curbed LA: CurbedWire: Dogs Shamed, $67 Million for Metro Gold Line

 $67 Million for Metro Gold Line
Thursday, May 7, 2009, by Dakota

2009.04
LOS ANGELES:
LOS ANGELES: Sounds like a chunk of money is coming to the under-construction and supposed-to-open-next-month Gold Line Extension. The White House sent out a release today noting that $67 million in American Recovery Act Funds will be directed towards the Gold Line Extensions. Via the press release: "The ARRA grant announced today does not increase the federal commitment to the project, but expedites funds committed under the agreement between federal government and the LACMTA (Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority)."

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Brings $67 Million in Federal Recovery Act Funds to Pay for Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension


U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced that the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will receive $66.7 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) funds for the Metro Gold Line Eastside Light Rail Extension.

“By getting these funds to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority now, we’re providing a boost that will help this project keep moving forward while jump-starting the economy and putting people back to work,” Secretary LaHood said.

In 2004, the Federal Transit Administration signed a “full funding grant agreement” to provide $490.7 million of the $898.8 million total project cost to be paid out in annual increments through 2010. The ARRA grant announced today does not increase the federal commitment to the project, but expedites funds committed under the agreement between federal government and the LACMTA.

The accelerated arrival of federal funds supplements local resources, which have declined during the economic downturn.

The Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension is six-mile extension to East Los Angeles that will connect to the Metro Gold Line at Union Station and extend service to Little Tokyo and the Arts District, Boyle Heights, with light-rail ending at Atlantic/Pomona Boulevards in East Los Angeles. The project includes a two-mile tunnel segment, eight stations, with two of them below grade, and two stations will be served with park-and-ride facilities.

The extension is scheduled to open for revenue service in June, which is six months ahead of the projected completion date. The project is currently in the start-up phase with testing underway in preparation for pre-revenue operations in mid-Ma