DOT grants $670M to LA light rail expansion

The Department of Transportation (DOT) is providing $670 million to help pay for the construction of an expansion of Los Angeles’ light rail system, the agency announced this week.

The money will come from a grant from the Federal Transit Administration, the DOT said. Los Angeles officials will also be awarded another $160 million loan through the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program, officials said.

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx offered a similar assessment in an announcement of the grant this week.

“LA’s Regional Connector will help make this city and region a better place for tens of thousands of Angelenos by ensuring that public transit not only works for everyone, but that it works better than ever,” Foxx said in a statement. “This administration is committed to ensuring that every American has access to ladders of opportunity that lead to success — and access to public transportation is essential to making that happen.”

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is planning to use the federal money to build a 1.9-mile underground connection between two of its existing light rail lines.

The project will add four new stations to the LA Metro light rail system and will close a downtown service gap that has long frustrated Los Angeles officials.