Boom! Ground broken for @PurpleLineExt, approved by you, the voters, as part of Measure R in 2008. #ItsYourGovernment pic.twitter.com/QGXWrINcun
— Metro Los Angeles (@metrolosangeles) November 7, 2014
A host of local and federal officials put shovels in the ground Friday to mark the start of construction on a 3.9-mile extension of the Purple Line subway through the Mid-Wilshire area.
“This is a historic day for the Westside,” County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said. “We have not had mass transit on the Westside since the Red Car was dismantled 60 years ago. And now we have two lines that are under construction.”
The $2.8 billion extension will take the Purple Line from its terminus at Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue to Wilshire and La Cienega boulevards.
The construction contract calls for the extension to be completed in October 2024, but the contractor has proposed a schedule that would complete the project about a year early, according to Metro. The extension will include underground stations at Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax and Wilshire/La Cienega.
Although it is often referred to as the “Subway to the Sea,” the Purple Line, which begins at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, is ultimately planned to end just beyond Westwood by 2035.
The other Metro line extending through the westside, the Expo Line, is expected to reach Santa Monica by 2016.
“Here in Los Angeles, where the car has been king for so long, we’re now sharing the road, sharing the space,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said. “A multi- modal city that says, if you want to get on a bike, were going to make it easier. You want to walk, we can get it done. You want to get on the subway, it will be there. You want to stay in your car, God bless you.”
The project is funded through a combination of local Measure R transportation tax funding and federal dollars. Metro spokesman Dave Sotero said the federal government is contributing about $2 billion, which he called the biggest federal contribution Metro has received for a construction segment.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., hailed the funding for the project but warned that local officials need to maintain the pressure for continued federal dollars — particularly given the swing in political power that occurred during Tuesday’s mid-term elections.
“Although this has a full funding grant agreement, no one should take anything for granted,” Feinstein said. “So the reason I’m here is to say as a city girl, I’ve learned a lot about cities and I want to stay the course on this one.”
— City News Service