Metro to Hold Meetings to Connect Transit Downtown

A conceptualized regional connector map | Download the full size here (.pdf)

Imagine a day when the Gold Line Eastside Extension to East LA and the Expo Line to Culver City are completed (2009 and 2010, respectively). But if you're traveling from Culver City to Little Tokyo, you'll have to take the Expo Line to the Red Line to the Gold Line. Headache, right? That's what Metro's Regional Connector project is seeking to fix. One possible goal, as the conceptual graphic above shows, is to have travelers commute between Pasadena and Long Beach or East LA and Culver City with no transfer.

The nearly two-mile project between the ares of a future Little Tokyo/Arts District Station and the 7th St./Metro Station still has two proposals on the table: one above ground traversing downtown streets and one underground (details of exact routes at blogdowntown). The difference in cost between the two is $150 million with the underground option carrying a higher price tag. There are also three proposed stations for downtown: Central Library, Bunker Hill/Music Center and Civic Center/Historic Core/Little Tokyo West.

For now, Metro is holding their final set of public meetings regarding the project before the project is presented to the Metro Board for initial funding. If you go, the information for the meetings is below.