On the heels of news of funding for a key Southeast L.A. Metro line, state elected officials and Metro leaders gathered last week in Artesia at the advance utility groundbreaking on the new light rail transit line planned for the area.
Metro was recently awarded $231 million by the state for the 19-mile transit line project. The project has been estimated to cost between $7.1 billion and $9 billion. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) lists the project at $8.6 billion.
This first phase of construction involves working with 34 utilities along the 15-mile corridor to move power lines out of the way and relocate underground pipes.
After this first phase, they can begin building the tracks and stations without any issues related to utilities, officials said.
Officials attending the event included L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn.
“Every single day, there are people taking two or even three or more buses to get where they need to go, whether that’s school, work, a doctor’s appointment, or grocery shopping,” said Hahn. “But today we’re taking a big step toward changing that.”
The Southeast Gateway Line will run between Artesia and Downtown L.A, connecting Southeast Los Angeles cities to the city of Los Angeles along the way. It’s a first-of-its-kind transit project serving southeast L.A. County.
The construction and operation of this line will create 40,000 good-paying jobs, according to Hahn.
Next fall, students will have a chance to join a new apprenticeship program at Cerritos College in partnership with the Metro and the Amalgamated Transit Union. The program will teach them how to work on the southeast line as well as other rail lines in Metro’s growing transit network.
“For too long, Angelenos in southeast L.A. County have been disconnected from Metro’s rail system, but with these additional funds, we move closer to giving Southeast LA and Gateway City residents a world-class light rail line to serve this growing area of our County,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins.
The Southeast Gateway Line will include nine stations extending from the Slauson A Line station located in the City of Los Angeles/Florence-Firestone unincorporated area of Los Angeles County to its southern terminus at the Pioneer Station located in the City of Artesia, passing through the cities of Bell, Bellflower, Cerritos, Cudahy, Downey, Florence-Firestone, Huntington Park, Los Angeles, Paramount, South Gate and Vernon.
The line will also include a new C Line station at the I-105 freeway.
The area has a high projected population and employment densities that are five times higher than L.A. County, with 44% of the population below the poverty line and 18% of households that do not own a car.
The funding for the light rail came from the California State Transportation Agency and from the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program.
Hahn says officials are still looking for more investment from the federal government.
The future official construction groundbreaking ceremony will be announced at a later date.
“The Southeast Gateway Line will be lifechanging for people, and today we are a step closer to delivering it,” said Hahn.