This is in addition to more than $US 1bn awarded recently to LACMTA by California Transportation Agency (CalSta) as part of its SB-1 funding for transit and inter-city rail capital improvements. These two amounts are expected to fund more than $US 1.8bn in LACMTA projects for several years.
SB-1 is California’s gasoline tax and vehicle fee transport funding programme approved in 2017 and signed into law by California’s governor Mr Jerry Brown. The awards are the largest allocation of SB-1 funds in California so far, and LACMTA has received 26% of total state funding. SB-1 gasoline tax funds will be combined with locally-generated transport sales tax contributions to continue expanding Los Angeles County's transport network. Los Angeles County has seven of the state’s 10 most congested highways and its ports handle 86% of all containers in California.
LACMT’s projects were chosen as solutions to transform the county’s bus and rail networks, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle-km travelled and enhance mobility in the area.
LACMTA rail projects announced for SB-1 funding include the $US 150m airport metro connector 96th Street transit station project, and America’s Global Freight Gateway - Southern California rail project worth $US 128.6m.
Transit capital projects that were awarded multi-year funding include:
• $US 1bn for the transit and inter-city rail capital programme
• Gold Line Foothill light rail extension to Montclair
• East San Fernando Valley transit corridor
• West Santa Ana branch light rail transit corridor
• Green Line light rail extension to Torrance
• Orange/Red Line to Gold Line bus rapid transit corridor, and
• Vermont transit corridor.
