Groundbreaking Held For $56M Santa Monica Transportation Infrastructure Project

The Santa Monica Department of Transportation on Thursday (April 9) held a ceremonial groundbreaking event to celebrate a new $56 million zero‑emission fleet and charging infrastructure expansion.

The event brought together public officials, including California Secretary of Transportation Toks Omishakin, agency and city leadership, and project partners to celebrate the start of construction.

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The $56 million investment, largely funded through a $53.3 million grant from the State of California’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, represents a major milestone in Big Blue Bus’s transition to a fully zero-emission fleet.

Infrastructure improvements are already underway, 18 months after the funding was secured. Clean transportation enhancements include:

• State-of-the-art charging infrastructure to support a fully zero-emission fleet: Construction of an advanced overhead gantry charging system capable of efficiently powering up to 195 buses, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving local air quality, and modernizing transit operations.
• Economic opportunity and workforce development: The project supports local job creation through construction, engineering, and electrical work, while also advancing workforce training in clean energy and zero-emission vehicle technologies.
• Equity and community health benefits: Transitioning to zero-emission buses reduces harmful emissions in the communities served.
• Long-term cost efficiency and system resilience: Electrification reduces long-term fuel and maintenance costs while strengthening operational resilience through modernized infrastructure and energy systems.

“This is what progress looks like. It’s practical, it’s measurable and it’s moving us forward,” Santa Monica Mayor Caroline Torosis said. “This systemwide move to cleaner transit is something for our city and residents to be proud of. When transit is reliable and accessible, people choose it, and those choices add up to a healthier, more sustainable city.”