Construction on a 1.9 mile Metro rail line in downtown Los Angeles will officially start with a groundbreaking ceremony today attended by Mayor Eric Garcetti and U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
The Regional Connector will link the Blue and Expo lines to the Gold Line, enabling passengers to take a single trip to reach far-flung suburbs from Azusa to Long Beach, according to Metro officials. It is expected to be completed in 2020, they said.
Actor George Takei, who is known for his advocacy of public transit, as well as for playing Sulu on TV’s “Star Trek,” will emcee the ceremony at the Metro Gold Line’s Little Tokyo/Arts District Station. The event also will feature Rep. Janice Hahn, Glendale Councilman Ara Najarian and Los Angeles County supervisors Gloria Molina and Don Knabe.
The Federal Transit Administration committed $670 million to the project in February. Some of the funding will also come from the Measure R half-cent sales tax hike approved by voters in 2008.
The connector’s future station at First Street and Central Avenue in Little Tokyo, will also get $11.8 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation toward creating a network of bike lanes and sidewalks around the light rail stop.
Two other Regional Connector stations are planned for Second Street and Broadway, and Second Place and Hope Street.
County transportation officials awarded a $927.2 million design and construction contract to Regional Connector Constructors, a joint venture of Skanska USA Civil West California District Inc. and Traylor Bros. Inc., to build the downtown subway.
