Last week, Metro quietly signed a federal Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) for $1.3 billion to construct the Westside Purple Line Extension Section 3. Though this comes after a delay of more than two years in the federal government disbursing congressionally-approved transit monies, it is nonetheless great news for Southern California mobility.
Overall the extensions will add nine miles of Westside Purple Line (now renamed the "D Line") subway, extending from Koreatown to Beverly Hills to West Los Angeles. Subway extension sections one and two are already under construction and are slated to open in 2023 and 2025, respectively. Phase three will extend the subway 2.6 miles from Century City to Westwood and the V.A. Hospital.
Three-phase Westside Purple Line extension map - via MetroThree-phase Westside Purple Line extension map - via Metro
The FFGA was signed last week, according to a Metro CEO Phil Washington brief, shared on Twitter by Metro document sleuth @Numble:
Signing of the Full Funding Grant Agreement for WPLE Section 3
On Tuesday, March 17, I joined the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams and FTA officials via tele-conference to sign the $1.3 billion Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) for the Westside Purple Line Extension (WPLE) - Section 3. The Congressional 30-day review period for this FFGA, as mandated by the FAST Act, ended on March 11, 2020. Section 3 of the WPLE will extend this heavy rail line from the future Century City station to the planned Westwood/VA Hospital station at a total cost of $3.6 billion.
I want to personally thank all Metro Board Members and their staff for their strong and sustained support as we have worked together to advance an unprecedented four active FFGA’s for Los Angeles County; and a special thanks to Metro Government Relations-Federal Affairs Team for their persistence and tenacity throughout this process. I also want to extend my sincere appreciation to U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, U.S. Senator Kamala Harris, our entire LA County Congressional Delegation, U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams, FTA Region IX Administrator Ray Tellis and Director for Region IX Los Angeles Office Charlene Lee Lorenzo for working diligently to ensure this FFGA moved forward in a deliberate and effective manner. We will be working with our Board of Directors and U.S. Department of Transportation to determine a suitable time in the future to celebrate this final federal funding contribution that will complete construction of the WPLE.
A year or two ago, this would have been front page news.
Today it feels like a (another) stunt from an administration reluctant to actually support transit mobility, but now newly eager to push monies out to stimulate this nation's COVID-19-ravaged economy. For more than two years, the Trump administration withheld transit project funding approved by Congress, delaying transit infrastructure projects in L.A., Phoenix, Minneapolis, Durham, New York City, Milwaukee, Seattle, and elsewhere.
Foothill Transit CEO Doran Barnes credits their successes to a "commitment to community," a "spirit of innovation," and fruitful collaborations with numerous partners
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