Metro Operation Shovel Ready Transit Projects map - including rail, bus, and bike projectsMetro Operation Shovel Ready Transit Projects map - including rail, bus, and bike projects
Does Phil Washington know something we don't?
Well, I am sure he knows a lot of things I don't know about. In any case, last week CEO Phil Washington announced Metro's "Operation Shovel Ready." According to the January 27 board communication [PDF], this initiative will bring "projects to a 'shovel-ready' state" to allow Metro "to take advantage of potential opportunities that may develop." Getting these projects from the preliminary plan stage to the ready-to-build stage "does not necessarily mean that they will all move into the construction stage" but if there is another, perhaps, federal stimulus package, it's good to have ready-to-go projects lying around just in case. Perhaps Washington is anticipating that a new president or an ambitious governor could again turn to transportation investments to stimulate the economy. We'll see.
The initiative includes two project lists. The first is transit projects, which is predominantly rail, but also includes some Bus Rapid Transit and bikeway projects. There is also, unfortunately, a long list of highway projects, mostly widening existing freeways and interchanges. Projects are broken out based on whether they have some measure R funding or not.
Many of these projects will be familiar to transportation watchers; some of them will require quite a bit of work, including environmental clearance, which could take several years.
The full Operation Shovel Ready project lists appear after the jump.
New concepts for rapid bus service across the 626 have ironed out the questions of where an East-West route would run and where demonstrations could begin.
Metro and Caltrans eastbound 91 Freeway widening is especially alarming as it will increase tailpipe pollution in an already diesel-pollution-burdened community that is 69 percent Latino, and 28 percent Black