Los Angeles County is investing billions of dollars in transportation infrastructure, expanding subway, light rail, rapid bus transit, and express lane projects to provide better mobility and connectivity to the entire region. The 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games provide an important opportunity to accelerate critical transit projects that will have lasting benefits for LA.
Some are calling the 2028 games the largest transportation event ever held. Over eight million ticketholders, 10,500 athletes, and 30,000 broadcasters and media are expected to attend. Olympic venues will be spread across the region from Long Beach (water polo, cycling, volleyball) to the San Fernando Valley (equestrian competitions, shooting, canoeing). The Downtown Sports Park, including Exposition Park and Staples Center, is expected to see up to 360,000 people a day.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has been working on its Twenty-eight by ‘28 plan to complete various infrastructure projects before the Games begin. This includes projects that are currently under construction like the Airport Metro Connector that will directly connect the Metro system to the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and the Metro D (Purple) Line, which is currently being extended through the central city to UCLA in Westwood. The UCLA campus station will connect the Athletes’ Village and Pauley Pavilion with event venues downtown.
The plan also seeks to accelerate the timeline for several projects including South Bay C Line (Green) extension to Torrance, the West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor, a 19-mile light rail transit line that would connect southeast LA County to downtown Los Angeles, and the Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project which is intended to improve travel between the San Fernando Valley and the Westside.
Check out our episode of The Rebuild SoCal Zone podcast, where we spoke with Move LA’s Executive Director Denny Zane and Director of Development and Programming Eli Lipmen on what LA County needs to do to prepare for the 2028 Olympics.
And, stay tuned for an upcoming episode where we interview Michelle Schwartz, Chief External Affairs Officer at LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, out April 20th.
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