Sepulveda Transit Corridor, LAX modernization, and more to benefit from federal funds
By Dolores Quintana
Now that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act has finally passed and has been signed into law by President Biden, many projects on California’s list can be funded with the billions of dollars that the Act will allocate to repair and improve the infrastructure of California’s cities and towns. These are some of the projects that the City of Los Angeles could complete with the money from the Infrastructure Act.
Specifically, Mayor Garcetti wrote in a twitter threat that “The infrastructure deal means funding for megaprojects like Sepulveda Transit Corridor, which will revolutionize the way Angelenos get around.”
Some examples of these improvements are:
The Sepulveda Transit Corridor, which would connect the Westside to the San Fernando Valley with a high capacity rail system that would also eventually connect to LAX.
NextGen Bus Plan, which would build priority bus lanes to help buses run on time and faster than normal traffic would allow.
Funding for an all electric and zero emissions Metro fleet of buses by 2030.
Funding for completion of street safety redevelopment projects like The Avalon Boulevard Project which repaired pavement, reconfigured street lanes and provided for safety improvements, like replacement and upgraded signals critical to reduce preventable street accidents and deaths.
Funding for an upgrade known as Link Union Station, which would end the original stub layout of Union Station that bottlenecks train traffic through the five track throat of the station’s design. Train tracks would cross over the 101 Freeway on run through tracks that would allow for high speed rail and potentially allow Union Station to serve 200,000 passengers a day, double the amount of pre-pandemic passengers who traveled through the hub as well as an upgraded passenger concourse area.
Funding for the US Army Corps of Engineers’ plans to restore the habitat and ecosystem of the Los Angeles River.
Funding for LAMP or the Landside Access Modernization Program to improve access to LAX. This would include a people mover, an large offsite parking garage in Westchester ITF-West, a consolidated rent a car facility, and road improvements that would provide access to ITF West and the car rental facility.
Funding to improve the Port of Los Angeles and upgrade the systems that control the flow of goods from the port into the city and address the supply side issues that the port and the city face. It would also fund the needs of the Port of Los Angeles to come up to speed with current environmental improvement goals.
Funding to invest in the electric vehicle charging network and add more stations to reduce the carbon emissions in Los Angeles by encouraging the switch to electric and hybrid vehicles.
Funding for bridge repair projects, like the Sixth Street Viaduct replacement project headed by the Bureau of Engineering, to make sure all of Los Angeles’s bridges are safe and allow the best possible flow of traffic to alleviate congestion and prevent accidents.
Funding for projects that offer protections for extreme heat brought on by climate change by investing in cool pavements or pavements constructed of materials that don’t retain as much heat and hydration stations along walkways and streets along with planting shade trees to give pedestrians and bicyclists cover from the sun.
Funding for large water recycling and reuse projects like the Hyperion Project from the Los Angeles Sanitation Department. The goal of the project is recycling 100% of the water that runs through HWRP by 2035.
Funding for better broadband infrastructure to improve digital access for all of the residents of Los Angeles.
Funding for the Los Angeles Green Deal which would allow Los Angeles to transition to 100% renewable and sustainable energy by 2035.
