Metro announced Tuesday that it has received a proposal from a private company to develop and possibly expedite the placement of a rapid-transit bus line along Vermont Avenue from Hollywood to South Angeles.
“We are encouraged by this proposal for a much-needed project that will have a major impact on an important north/south corridor,” Metro CEO Phillip A. Washington said. “It’s another sign that the private sector is getting on board to help us advance our transportation revolution in Los Angeles County.”
The proposal by AECOM and John Laing is the first Metro has received for the Vermont Avenue Transit Corridor. It’s the 11th private-sector proposal the transit agency has received for a project set to be funded by Measure M, the half-cent sales tax approved by county voters in 2016. The tax is estimated to generate $120 billion over the next 40 years.
“Partnerships give us new opportunities and resources to bring ideas to life,” Los Angeles Mayor and Metro Board Chair Eric Garcetti said. “Measure M is helping us attract the kind of creative thinking and transformative technology that will accelerate our transportation future.”
The Vermont corridor extends approximately 12.5 miles from Hollywood Boulevard south to 120th Street, just south of the Glenn Anderson (105) Freeway. According to Metro, the corridor is the second busiest in Los Angeles County, behind Wilshire Boulevard, with more than 45,000 weekday bus boardings.
Metro’s Office of Extraordinary Innovation will assemble a review team to evaluate the concept by AECOM and John Laing.
Public-private partnership “are a critical mechanism for bringing innovation to project delivery,” Metro Chief Innovation Officer Joshua Schank said. “The technology solutions envisioned in this proposal show that such innovation has a place in every corner of our system, from subways to light rail to bus.”
The Vermont Avenue Transit Corridor project would be designed to improve the existing bus line’s speed and performance, while relieving crowding and improving connections with other Metro services, such as the Red and Purple Line subways and Green and Expo Line light rail services.
The project is scheduled to receive $25 million from Measure M and $400 million from other sources. Under the Measure M plan, it is scheduled to break ground in 2024 and is projected for completion between 2028 and 2030.
–City News Service