Regional Connector

Negotiations continue between representatives of the Financial District and Metro staff concerning the tunneling options for the Connector through the district continue this week behind closed doors according to sources familiar with both sides of the negotiation.  Both Metro and the Mayor's Office have ignored attempts to ask about the status of the discussions and nobody was willing to speak "on the record" about negotiations.  However, there are a few things Streetsblog has learned that it can share.

When the final environmental documents for the Regional Connector were released to the public, we published a Frequently Asked Questions article explaining some of the politics and the issues facing the rail project.  In the body of the article, Streetsblog glossed over the concerns of a number of major players in the Downtown Financial District including Thomas Properties, Westin Bonaventure Fixing Angelenos Stuck in Traffic (FAST), the California Club, Hines and Central City Association about the "cut and cover" tunneling style that would be used to create the Connector tunnel in the Financial District.

(We just found out from Metro, via email and The Source, that the Regional Connector discussion is being moved until next month so "local concerns" can be addressed in the financial district. - DN)

While Metro has a dozen transit projects under construction or in the works, two have always stood out for the attention they attract.  The Westside Subway has always been the jewel of the transit agency's plans, capturing the imagination of the transit starved city.  But, it was the Regional Connector, the Downtown light rail project that will unite them all that has been viewed by many as the most important of these projects.

As more and more environmental documents are published and review periods begin, Streetsblog is going to write an impartial F.A.Q. to update our readers to what's going on, why they should care, and how to get involved. Given the medium in which we write, we'll be updating the comments section regularly, so if we don't answer your question in the FAQ, leave it in the comments section and we'll get to it.

Nothing comes easy.

Here's a quick rundown of the major votes by today's Metro Board. Each of these five motions were discussed at Streetsblog over the last couple of weeks, and links to those stories can be found at the end of each summary.  Streetsblog will have links to all news reports on today's meeting tomorrow.

On the agenda for next week's Metro Board Planning and Programming Committee are two agenda items that will surely raise eyebrows and cause some debate.  Metro staff is recommending that the Board approve Locally Preferred Alternatives (LPAs) for the Westside Subway and Regional Connector Projects.  It comes as no surprise to Metro watchers which alternatives were selected, but as Dan Wentzel notes at "Ride the Pink Line" it is somewhat surprising that the staff's preferred alternatives were released BEFORE public comment on the projects is completed.