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Members of Congress to L.A.: Do You Really Want the Westside Subway?
Photo by GarySe7en via LAist Featured Photos via Flickr
A warning, of sorts, came from a delegation of local members of congress today. Two mainstream media headlines begin to the tell the story. From this morning, the Pasadena Star News:
And this afternoon from the LA Times:
Yes, the debate over extending the Gold Line eastward through the San Gabriel Valley is still a big issue and just got bigger, two days before Metro's board meeting where the group will be considering its Long Range Transportation Plan.
The board plans to submit two project for federal funding. One is the westside subway and the other is the regional connector in downtown. However, both projects do not stand a good chance for funding any time soon because environmental work has not been completed, said the delegation. Instead, projects like the Gold Line Foothill Extension, Crenshaw Line and Expo Line might stand a better chance.
“We are very concerned that Los Angeles County is not positioning itself well to receive its fair share of New Starts funding in the near- and long-term,” the delegation wrote. “Metro’s current plan puts the County at risk of being out of the New Starts funding queue for several years, perhaps for the entire surface transportation reauthorization bill.”
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