The Votes Are In!
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Alternatives overview of the West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor Project. | Map courtesy of LA Metro
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Members of the Metro Board of Directors Friday celebrated its approval of a 14.8-mile segment of a planned light rail train line to connect South Gate communities with Slauson Station and eventually Union Station in downtown Los Angeles.
“This new light rail line serving Southeast Los Angeles (SELA), a region I had the honor of representing for seven years, marks a milestone in our initiative to make Metro B.E.T.T.E.R. and Bring Equitable Transportation To Every Resident,” said L.A. County Supervisor and Metro Board Chair Hilda L. Solis.
“A transit-dependent community, SELA overwhelmingly supported Measure M back in 2016. To that end, I’m thrilled that the locally preferred alternative moving forward is in-line with the needs of residents who frequent our public transit system every day.”
The Board voted Thursday to advance the first phase of the West Santa Ana Branch Project segment to connect the future Pioneer Station, at Pioneer Boulevard in Artesia, with Slauson Station, in the Florence area near South Los Angeles. The second phase of the project would connect Slauson Station with Union Station.
The project is expected to reduce travel times in the corridor by 40 minutes end-to-end, according to Metro.
“The action taken by our Board really represents a renewed commitment on the importance this project brings to address equity, regional mobility, environmental and economic benefits for all the Gateway Cities,” said Metro CEO Stephanie N. Wiggins.
“The project will greatly improve access to opportunities and improve transit service to low-income riders and communities of color who have suffered for too long with higher than average rates of morbidity and mortality due to their exposure to air pollution and a lack of transit alternatives.”
On Friday, Solis celebrated the passage outside Metro’s Headquarters with Metro Board members Mayor Eric Garcetti, Supervisor Janice Hahn and Whittier Councilman Fernando Dutra.
“The West Santa Ana Branch is not just a crucial project to deliver light rail to historically underserved areas of L.A. County * it*s an opportunity to stitch our region together and connect people to opportunity,” Garcetti said. “Through Measure M and collaboration across the County, we are improving congestion and air quality, and bringing high-quality public transportation to every corner of our region.”
The timeline for the first phase of the project, according to Metro staff, is for the Final Environmental Impact Report to be certified in winter 2022, construction to begin in 2023 and the segment to be complete in 2033 to 2035. The final segment from Slauson Station to Union Station segment could take decades to open.
“We’ve been talking about this for nearly 30 years. Our community should not have to wait another 30 years to finally get this transit line that we promised,” Hahn said.
Hahn introduced a motion, which the Board also approved Thursday, aimed at ensuring the project is not declared complete until it provides a single-seat ride connecting Artesia to Union Station. The motion also calls for Metro to pursue accelerated construction and funding for the project.
“I want to reiterate that anything less than this one-seat ride is just a segment and it is not going to be called the project,” Hahn said during the meeting.
Her motion also called for Metro staff to include in its study of the Slauson Station-to-Union Station segment a plan to include a station in Little Tokyo, an addition supported by many community members.
As planned, the line would go through Artesia, Cerritos, Bellflower, Paramount, Downey, South Gate, Cudahy, Bell, Huntington Park and downtown L.A.
Elected officials and residents from several of the communities called into the meeting to express their support, as well as call for the entire line to be accelerated.
“A lot of our residents depend on the bus, and this project is needed to provide them with another way to get to work and to see their families,” said South Gate Councilmember and Eco-Rapid Transit Boardmember Maria Davila.
Downey Mayor Blanca Pacheco said:
“This light rail will provide L.A. County residents with expanded access to health care, education and cultural destinations. We have been planning this project for 30 years and we need to get this project completed from Artesia to downtown L.A.”
The $8 billion project is currently partially funded through local sales tax revenue and state funding, and Metro Board members said it would pursue federal funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and President Joe Biden’s Justice40 Initiative.
Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Whittier, spoke to the Metro Board of Directors ahead of the vote to say that the project is “well positioned for robust federal funding, because it really is an issue of environmental justice that residents of the Gateway region finally can reap the benefits of clean and affordable light rail.”
