How L.A. Could Build 12 Major Transit Projects in 10 Years

Photo by Salaam Allah West Coast Transitphotography KING! via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr

Photo by Salaam Allah West Coast Transitphotography KING! via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr
The hardest part about bringing Los Angeles a world-class public transit system is the funding. That's why Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's has been hitting up Washington hard for his 30/10 plan--12 projects scheduled to be completed in 30 years accelerated to 10 years. The Plan doesn't ask for free money, it asks for a long-term loan to be paid back with guaranteed funds from Measure R, the voter-approved sales tax hike.

At yesterday's Senate Committee on the Environment and Public
Works hearing, USDOT Undersecretary for Policy Roy Kienitz said there's no one funding mechanism to support the project as a whole, but he does understand L.A.'s need for improved transit in the immediate future. “Everyone who has ever driven in LA knows that more and better transit in that region is a must, and the sooner it’s in place, the better,” he said.

After returning from his trip, Villaraigosa's office today announced a handful of federal programs that could help fund 30/10:

• Federal loan guarantees
• Interest rate subsidies
• Direct (bridge) loan
• Innovative repayment options (e.g. repayment doesn’t begin until a project is completed, similar to TIFIA)

There's no hint to when day one of ten years begins, but the conversation is definitely making some headway. Here are the 12 projects in 30/10:

• Orange Line Canoga extension (under construction)
• The Westside Subway Extension
• The Regional Connector Light Rail connector
• The Gold Line Foothill Extension
• The Crenshaw line in South Los Angeles
• The Green Line Extension to the South Bay
• The Green Line Extension to LAX
• The Expo Light Rail Line Phase 2
• The Gold Line Eastside Extension
• The West Santa Ana Branch Corridor
• A 405 Corridor project west
• San Fernando Valley North South rapidways