Metro Receives Nearly $1.5 Billion in Fed Money to Extend Purple Line to Century City, Westwood

LOS ANGELES - PHOTO: The view from ground level of the northeast corner of Ave. of the Stars and Constellation, approximate location of the Century City Station location.

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Nearly $1.5 billion in federal grants and loans will help extend the Metro Purple line subway through Beverly Hills and Century City, officials announced Wednesday.

The first section of the line is under construction between Wilshire/Western and Wilshire/La Cienega, and the second section will run 2.6 miles further with two new stations at Wilshire/Rodeo and Century City. The third section would run to Westwood and is still in the planning stages.

"Angelenos and people across L.A. County have shown their commitment to creating a better-connected transportation system -- and this investment echoes that commitment to giving people faster, more convenient connections to their jobs, to healthy recreation, fun attractions, and to the people they love," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said.

"We are moving quickly to create the world-class transit system our people deserve, and these federal funds for the Purple Line extension will accelerate progress along the region's busiest transit corridor," he said.

The just-announced federal funding includes a $1.187 billion construction grant agreement through the Federal Transit Administration's Capital Investment Grant program, a $307 million loan through the Department of Transportation's TIFIA program, and $169 million in funding through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program.

Combined with Metro's $836 million local match from Measure R funds and more from the recently passed Measure M, the second section of the Purple Line is funded for roughly $2.5 billion, Garcetti's office said.
The first section of the Purple Line extension also received a construction grant agreement and DOT TIFIA loan in 2014.

"The Obama administration is making an important investment in the future of the Los Angeles region," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. "Thanks to a strong local vision and federal support, Los Angeles will continue its transformation from the nation's car capital to one that embraces sustainable, multimodal solutions that increase access to opportunity."

The two new stations are expected to open in 2026, with the extension to Westwood targeted for completion by 2035, according to the DOT. However, Measure M, a sales tax increase which was approved by county voters in November, is expected to raise $120 billion for public transit over the next 40 years and calls for the full extension to Westwood to be completed by 2024.

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--City News Service/Images via LA County Transportation Authority