Metro Formalizes Plan To Speed Up Purple Line's Completion

Seven of Metro's 13 board members met Thursday in a meeting that saw, among other things, the formal approval of funding aimed at accelerating the Purple Line subway's completion.

According to StreetsBlog, the abbreviated board (and board meeting) approved expansion of Metro's bike-share program to Wilmington, San Pedro, Venice, and Pasadena, as well as approving environmental analyses for three possible Gold Line extension routes east. The biggest headline of the night, however, was the committee's formal funding commitment of $899 million of Measure R funding to accelerate Phase 3 of the Purple Line's construction (the 2.6-mile stretch connecting Century City to the Westwood VA) by moving up the completion date to 2026.

According to Metro's own blog, The Source, construction of Phase 3 is expected to begin in 2018, with "completion no later than 2026 as per the agency’s agreement with the Federal Transit Administration."

Phase 1 of the Purple Line extension (through La Cienega Boulevard) is currently under construction, and is set to be completed in 2023. Construction of phase 2 of the extension plan (through Century City) was given the go-ahead this week, as well, and is expected to be completed by 2026.

Metro, however, is remaining hopeful that construction will go faster than planned, writing, "With the passage of Measure M, the agency has said it is aiming to finish the entire subway to Westwood by 2024 and in time for a potential 2024 Summer Olympics."