LA Metro breaks ground on 12-mile bus rapid transit corridor

Dive Brief:

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority broke ground Wednesday on a 12.4-mile bus rapid transit corridor running north-south along Vermont Avenue west of downtown LA.
The corridor will feature curbside bus lanes in both directions with transit signal priority, off-board fare payment systems and buses with all-door boarding. By eliminating bottlenecks where the road narrows, LA Metro estimates the BRT system will shorten end-to-end travel times by up to 24%, improving bus on-time performance.
LA Metro anticipates opening the service in 2028, potentially in time for the Summer Olympics. Riders will not have to wait until then, however, as portions of the corridor will go into service as the lanes are completed, Metro said in a press release.

Dive Insight:

The Federal Transit Administration awarded the project nearly $150 million through its Capital Investment Grant Small Starts Program on Sept. 1. With that grant, plus state funds and local voter-approved sales tax revenue, the project is fully funded.

The project will run from East Hollywood at the north end to the West Athens neighborhood at the south end. “By improving the Vermont corridor, we fortify the north-south backbone of our bus system,” LA Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins said at the groundbreaking ceremony. When completed, the Vermont BRT is expected to carry over 66,000 riders a day.

“We're delivering fast, reliable, seamless transit LA County residents and South Los Angeles residents deserve,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell said at the ceremony.

The corridor connects with four Metro Rail lines and more than 13 east-west bus routes. Along the route are some of the 2028 Olympic venues such as the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Exposition Park Stadium. It also provides access to the University of Southern California, the new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, Los Angeles City College and nearly 90 schools.

The project will upgrade 26 bus stations along the corridor with better lighting, real-time arrival displays, emergency call buttons and accessible curb ramps, according to a Metro press release. Metro is also installing wider sidewalks, protected bike lanes and bus bulb-outs to shorten street-crossing distances along the route.