where we go from here: measure ‘r’ tax a reality
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Measure R, the countywide sales-tax measure that would raise nearly $40 billion over 30 years, in all likelihood has been officially approved by LA County voters.
With 67.93% of the vote as of November 28 — a two-thirds supermajority is required for passage — the measure’s lead has been growing each day this week as provisional and absentee ballots are counted. Results must be finalized by December 2.
After a grueling process (as chronicled on this site in the past), funds will finally begin rolling in July 1, 2009. That means your sales tax levied on all goods purchased in the county rises to 8.75%.
Daily riders will be thankful for a one-year postponement of planned fare increases on Metro rail and bus services. Students and the disabled will see their fares remain unchanged for five years. Increased bus and Metrolink services and road repaving will have a quick impact for commuters.
Now comes the hard part: Doling out the money to capital projects based on numerous criteria, including readiness, impact, and political will.
Heavy-Hitter: The Subway
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has made the Subway to the Sea a high priority since he entered office in 2005. The Purple Line extension is the signature infrastructure development of the sales tax measure.
At a total cost of $6 billion to reach the Pacific, the line may take 20 years to build to completion, though federal funding can speed up that process. Lobbying for federal transportation dollars also means that local taxpayers get the most project for their dollar.
Environmental review is ongoing, with an extension to West Hollywood under study as well. According to Curbed LA, construction could begin by 2013 “If all goes as planned.” The project is expected to open in phases once a final route is chosen.
In the meantime, Angelenos will have to make do with bus-only lanes to improve the plight of commuters in the Wilshire corridor. Unfortunately, the cities of Beverly Hills and Santa Monica are not participating in the project at this time.
The (Not So) Big Two
It is largely expected that two standout projects — the Expo Line extension from Culver City to Santa Monica and the Gold Line Foothill Extension from Pasadena to Azusa — are the agency’s highest priorities, but for different reasons.
The Expo Line is currently under construction between Downtown Los Angeles and Culver City along the industrial-residential Exposition Boulevard corridor.
Making stops at LA Trade Tech College, the University of Southern California, the LA Memorial Coliseum, and near downtown Culver City, the line’s full ridership potential won’t be realized before reaching the job-rich city of Santa Monica.
With a Gold Line extension to East Los Angeles already 90% completed, the eastern San Gabriel Valley receives its own Gold Line project because of the political will of the cities along the route and the progress of environmental studies — though ridership is only expected to reach 9,500 per day.
Downtown LA to San Francisco in 2.5 Hours
Meanwhile, the passage of Proposition 1a — the $10 billion California High Speed Rail bond — means trains may begin speeding through the 450-mile Los Angeles-to-San Francisco corridor in ten years, despite facing enormous modern-day challenges including rising construction costs, lengthy environmental review processes, lawsuits and safety issues.
But with a larger Democratic Congress being ushered in next year and California at its helm, as well as a new pro-rail Presidential administration taking the White House (Vice President-elect Joe Biden was a daily Amtrak rider during his years in the Senate), some federal stimulus and infrastructure funding is likely for the CAHSR project.
24 comments
Hopefully the President-Elect and his new team can roll out a plan that adequately funds construction and maintenance of rail lines of all grades.
It’s all about the journey! I’ll be happy along the way to a completed Subway to the Sea when the Expo Line and Gold Line Eastside Extension open in the next few years. Then I look forward to Expo going out to Santa Monica and the Downtown Connector starting construction.
ALSO: I am sure the MTA Board will eventually decide on a COLOR for Expo Line since you cannot have a single line in the system with just a name while all the other ones are colored.
I think the Aqua Line is still the best choice for that route.
Why not the Black Line? It’s already designated as a black line on maps.
2013!?
man o man, that’s not soon enough.
if this was China shit would be done in a year.
Weirdly enough, I think the “black line” might sound racist. Aqua line is the way to go for the Expo rename.
Don’t forget the vaunted Downtown
That will have a direct impact on Downtowners and is much more likely to move forward under Measure R.
Connector linking the Gold and Blue lines in Little Tokyo!
Why not just keep it the Expo line. It’s ok to have color lines and other lines with names on it.
Racist? Really?
Fine. I say we designate it by half-black and half-white stripes and rename it the Hope & Change Line.
Or just call the damn thing the Midnight Line. Point is, we’re running out of colors.
I heard the orange line has to eventually turn into a rail line by 2015 or they have to start paying thousands of dollars.
Is this true Rich?
Besides Expo and Gold Line continuing/starting construction in 2010, the Orange Line extension to Chatsworth looks like a real possibility to begin the same year. We can have 3 transit projects under construction within 3 years!
That was the rumor swirling around several years ago as the Orange Line was under construction. I don’t know how set in stone it is though.
^^It is a fact that Metro must convert the Orange Line to Rail by 2015. It was one of the conditions the state put on the money it gave Metro to construct the line. Otherwise, Metro would have to pay back hundreds of Millions of dollars back to the state in 2015 money
About the Expo Color, since the very beginning of the grassroots movement of the Expo, the community lobbied for the line and the color, the only reason we are having an issue with the color is because at one of the Dorsey Meetings, Bernard Parks decided to put his 2 cents in and say aqua didnt reflect the community; yet the community is who lobbied for the line in the 1st place. There was overwhelming support in that meeting from the community for it to be aqua, but Parks left early after he said what he needed without hearing the community, but hey, he has his influence on Metro with his vote….
But thats why he lost in his campaign for county supervisor!!! Payback’s a B
How ‘bout just calling it The Rainbow Expo-ress?
tee hee!
I invite those of you interested in following developments of planning for a Westside subway extension to check in with Metro’s “official” study website at http://www.metro.net/westside. There you will find all of the information from the Alternatives Analysis (AA) Study that is just concluding including what we are planning to recommend to the Board for further study and how we arrived at the recommendations. You can also sign-up to be added to our database so we can keep you informed of future developments. And you can send us your opinions and questions. We’re also on Facebook at “Metro Westside Extension.”
In January, we do plan to ask the Metro Board of Directors to approve the AA study and authorize us to proceed into a Draft EIS/EIR which are the necessary next steps. I hope you will all take advantage of the opportunity of this work to let your views be known and help shape this project.
Jody Litvak
Metro Westside Extension Study Team
Hugh, at the same time in hindsight, that May 2006 meeting (I remember because it was the same day of the Phoenix-Lakers playoff game #6) was the beginning that stirred up the PUC Expo grade crossings, because Mr. Parks needed to stubbornly prove that he is right on the color of the line.
As always Jody, we thank you for connecting with us in cyberspace.
I’ll throw in my comments/suggestions:
1. If the Orange Line must be upgraded to rail, why not continue it as the existing Red Line (subway or elevated), thus freeing up the color Orange? The less train-changing riders have to deal with the faster the service and the higher the ridership.
2. How about continuing the Expo/Aqua/Black/Rainbow/Whatever Line straight on down Venice Blvd. to the ocean? There’s already a right of way in the middle of the boulevard (where there used to be a streetcar) and it “spreads out” the service area a bit. Notice how close the Purple Line and Expo/Etc. Line come as they approach Santa Monica, thus limiting effective service area.
3. Continue the Green Line north past LAX and up along/above/under Lincoln Blvd. on up to meet with the Expo/Etc. Line and then the Purple Line in Santa Monica.
4. Continue the Expo/Etc. Line up to the Music Center then east on to Union Station directly or via Little Tokyo to Union Station, providing the “downtown connector” link.
5. Extend the Blue Line north to Glendale.
6. Look into extending either the Red Line or the Purple Line to the southeast, beyond Union Station.
7. Find a magic lantern w/genie to pay for it all.
Although it is no doubt far over the horizon, I would like to see an Alternatives Analysis study of a Van Nuys - Sherman Oaks - Westwood - Culver City - LAX line largely along Sepulveda and the 405. No doubt it would be costly and difficult politcally, but ridership would be through the roof.
John Ryan - $1 billion is allocated to that specific corridor you are describing as part of Measure R. Something will happen, but as of now, the plans are up in the air. Expect an Alternative Analysis sometime soon.
1) Downtown Connector is probably going to get the second most attention right after the SOTS. Why? The most bang for the buck. You can get different routings.
2) We should drop the colors on everything except the maps and start having Lettered trains. Letters for routes (services) and colors for lines (trackage). We going to be able to have Pasadena to Long Beach, East LA to Long Beach, East LA to Culver City, Culver City to Long Beach, Pasadena to Culver City. Not enough colors in the Crayola box for all those train routes. We’re going to be soon talking about the A Train, the E train, etc. There’s precedent for this, the LA Railway used letters for their street car routes. (The Pacific Electric used neither numbers nor letters for their routes.)
Subway would easier: R for Red Line, P for Purple Line. No other subway routes coming up…unless you count the Gold Line East LA extensi0n.
“Students and the disabled will see their fares remain unchanged for five years.”
So, when the inevitable increase comes, it will have to be far bigger, because of five years of no increases. Much better to increase slightly every year.
I like that “Rainbow Express” from Kellsy, but save that for the potential Purple Line spur (or was it Red Line?) to West Hollywood.
The thing about Mr. Goodmon’s plan is he love’s the speed and efficiency of Heavy Rail, and his plan doesnt include the light rail component that Metro has already began expanding on. We could have a huge heavy rail subway system spread across our region, but what he doesnt take account is the new Privately funded Maglev system that will begin construction next year that will be the really high speed to our a bit slower light rail with stops at LAX, the 405 in West LA, Union, LA Ports, Bell, LA Ontario Airport, Industry. The reason American Maglev wants to build us a privately funded Maglev system across the region is because they will make their money with the transportation of cargo to and from the seaports to the airports and Inland ports in San Bernardino County. Ports to Union est. completion 2012; Union to LA Ontario 2015
Tuesday, June 30 2009: Expect a mad rush of sales at retailers across Los Angeles County as people scramble to make their last 8.25% sales tax purchases before midnight…
Hugh—You are high. American Maglev wants taxpayer dollars. If there is a single mile built before your completion date (quotes) I will mail you a check for $100 bucks in 2015.
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