Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has lined up nearly $1.5 billion in federal funding for the second phase of the Purple Line subway that will eventually run from Downtown Los Angeles to Westwood. The $1.5 billion comes in the form of both grants and loans: a $1.187-billion Federal Transit Administration grant and a $307-million Department of Transportation loan.

Metro will pitch in local dollars, too: $836 million in revenue from two countywide sales tax measures passed by voters in 2008 and 2016, Measures R and M. Aware of the critical need for sustained funding for local infrastructure projects, SCPFJ actively supported the passage of Measure M in 2016. The promise of funding from local revenues can play a role in securing funding from other agencies — Metro noted that without the local sales tax money generated by Measures R and M, federal funding might not have landed.

The Los Angeles County Economic Development notes that construction of the Purple Line Extension will support more than 25,000 jobs in the Southern California area.

“People across L.A. County have shown their commitment to creating a better-connected transportation system—and this investment echoes that commitment to giving people faster, more convenient connections to their jobs, to healthy recreation fun attractions, and to the people they love,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. “We are moving quickly to create the world-class transit system our people deserve, and these federal funds for the Purple Line extension will accelerate progress along the region’s busiest transit corridor.”

Set to become part of the Los Angeles County Metro Rail System, the Purple Line Extension is a new rail subway corridor being built in three sections. Phase One construction is already underway, adding three stations to extend the line beneath Wilshire Blvd. from its existing terminus in Koreatown. Phase Two adds another 2.6 miles to the project, extending the service to Beverly Hills and Century City. The third phase will bring the Purple line to Westwood. When it opens, the Purple Line service will take riders from Downtown LA to Westwood in 25 minutes.

Metro originally planned to open the final segment in 2035, but under Measure M, it could open sooner, sometime between 2024 and 2027.

Source: Curbed L.A.