Meeting_Body
PLANNING AND PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE
JULY 16, 2025
Subject
SUBJECT: COUNTYWIDE PLANNING MAJOR PROJECT STATUS REPORT
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE status report on Countywide Planning Major Project Status Report.
Issue
ISSUE
Countywide Planning and Development’s major projects status report is prepared by Countywide Planning and Development, with support from Program Management, Operations and Shared Mobility to provide highlights of capital projects in planning phases of development. These include transit corridor projects such as rail and bus rapid transit, regional rail, Measure M active transportation corridor projects, ExpressLanes projects and complete streets and highway improvements.
Background
BACKGROUND
Metro’s mission is to provide a world-class transportation system that enhances the quality of life for all who live, work, and play within Los Angeles County. Countywide Planning and Development (CPD) oversees the planning of major capital projects to support this mission. The attached Project Status Report (Attachment A) provides an update on transit, active transportation corridors, ExpressLanes and complete streets and highway projects in various stages of development.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
The status report provides a quarterly update on major projects as they advance through alternatives and feasibility analyses, technical analyses for environmental certification, selection of preferred projects, cost estimation and funding development, and evaluation of project delivery method. Following environmental planning milestones, projects typically transition from CPD to Program Management and are included in the Program Management Major Project Status report, which is provided on a quarterly basis to the Metro Board’s Construction Committee.
As requested by Director Horvath, updates on the Pacific Coast Highway projects in the City of Malibu as well as an update from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) on the Pacific Coast Highway Master Plan remain in this quarter’s report.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
This report includes updates for multiple projects as well as assessments of equity. The last quarterly update included refreshed equity assessment baseline summaries for each project that had descriptions of potential project benefits to EFCs (and no unmitigated project equity impacts). There are no updates or changes to those project equity assessments this quarter except for the following projects that have been added to the Project Status Report in Attachment A.
I-405 Sepulveda Pass (Phase 1) ExpressLanes Project (I-405 Express Lanes)
The I-405 Express Lanes Project is currently in the environmental phase and includes evaluating four alternatives (no build and three build alternatives) to determine the feasibility of converting existing High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes or carpool lanes into dynamically priced, High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes, called ExpressLanes, in both directions along I-405 between I-10 and US 101. Eighteen percent (18%) of the I-405 ExpressLanes’three-mile buffer project area is in 13 Equity Focus Communities (EFCs). The remaining project area (82%) comprises non-EFCs. EFCs along the I-405 ExpressLanes Project corridor are prioritized for engagement to ensure inclusive, meaningful public participation through digital communications, participation in community events, outreach through Community Based Organizations (CBOs), and an upcoming equity assessment that will identify projects that could be funded with net toll revenue grants consistent with other ExpressLanes efforts.
Link Union Station Project (Link US)
The increased rail service from this project will make it easier for Metrolink riders to access key destinations, such as jobs, housing, and healthcare appointments, as well as provide access to the greater LA Metro public transportation system at Los Angeles Union Station (LAUS). The Link US Project will also result in reduced train and idling times saving as much as 5 minutes for each ride linking the counties of San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara to LAUS-and fuel savings and emission reductions. Further, it is estimated that the Link US Project will generate 4,500 jobs during construction, resulting in over 200 permanent jobs. In addition, during Early Work and Phase 2 Construction, the Project Labor Agreement (PLA) and the Construction Careers Policy (CCP) will require the Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) to hire 40% Targeted Local Workers, 20% Apprentice Workers, and 10% Disadvantaged Workers. Lastly, to mitigate impacts on the LAUS-adjacent William Mead Homes, the first public housing project in the City of Los Angeles constructed in the 1950s and located within a Metro Equity Focus Community, the Link US Project includes the construction of a new sound wall, designed to reduce noise externalities from existing and future increases in train operations, and proposed quiet-zone safety improvements at the railroad crossing on N. Main Street to reduce the train horn noise in the area.
The Diversity and Economic Opportunity Department (DEOD) established a 25% Small Business (with 3% designated for Micro Business (MB)) and a 3% Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) goal, and a separate 10% Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) goal for Phase 1. The CM/GC met or exceeded the goals by making a 22.43% SB commitment, a 3.09% MB commitment, a 3.66% DVBE commitment, and a 10.37% DBE commitment for Phase 1.
Vehicle_Miles_Traveled_Outcome
VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED OUTCOME
VMT and VMT per capita in Los Angeles County are lower than national averages, the lowest in the SCAG region, and on the lower end of VMT per capita statewide, with these declining VMT trends due in part to Metro’s significant investment in rail and bus transit.* Metro’s Board-adopted VMT reduction targets align with California’s statewide climate goals, including achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. To ensure continued progress, all Board items are assessed for their potential impact on VMT.
The projects in this report have mixed outcomes but taken together they will likely decrease VMT in LA County. Although some individual projects may not directly contribute to the achievement of the Board-adopted VMT Reduction Targets, the VMT Targets were developed to account for the cumulative effect of a suite of programs and projects within the Metro region.
Within this suite of projects, Metro seeks to reduce single-occupancy vehicle trips, provide a safe transportation system, multimodal options, improve safety and mobility; and increase accessibility to destinations via transit, cycling, walking, and carpooling. Some of the projects within this status report include items that will ease congestion for cars and trucks, or expand vehicle capacity, resulting in the possibility of increased VMT. Additionally, some projects reported here do not have a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) yet and therefore the VMT outcome is not yet able to be determined, although Metro staff will ensure that the Board and public will have access to analysis related to VMT during the process of selecting an LPA or when any action on the project is being requested of the Board. Metro has a voter-approved mandate to deliver multimodal projects that enhance mobility while ensuring the efficient movement of people and goods, as required by state law.
The VMT outcomes for each project in this report were provided in detail in the last quarterly update and there are no changes or updates to the VMT outcomes this quarter except for the following projects that have been added to the Project Status Report in Attachment A and summarized in the VMT outcomes table shown below.
For I-405 ExpressLanes Project, multimodal alternatives will be studied. The Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) will be selected after considering community input, environmental impacts, and engineering studies, and will be presented in the final environmental document.
For the Link US Project, preliminary analysis shows that the net effect of this multi-modal item is to decrease VMT. Using data provided by LOSSAN, SCRRA, and SCAG, it is estimated that this project will result in 299,889,346 additional passenger-miles per year. This will result in an annual reduction in VMT of 239,911,477 per year, or a 679,687 daily VMT reduction.
*Based on population estimates from the US Census and VMT estimates from Caltrans’ Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) data between 2001-2019.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
The development of projects included in this report supports Strategic Plan Goal #1 by delivering high-quality mobility options that enable people to spend less time traveling.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Staff will continue to advance these projects through the planning phases. The next quarterly update will be provided in October 2025.
Attachment
ATTACHMENT
Attachment A - Project Status Report
Prepared_by
Prepared by:
Philbert Wong, Senior Director, Shared Mobility, (213) 418-3137
Michelle Smith, Executive Officer, Complete Streets & Highways, (213) 547-4368
Allison Yoh, Executive Officer, Mobility Corridors, (213) 922-4812
Michael Cano, Senior Executive Officer (Interim), Multimodal Integrated Planning,
(213) 418-3010
David Mieger, Senior Executive Officer, Countywide Planning and
Development, (213) 922-3040
Shahrzad Amiri, Deputy Chief Operations Officer, (213) 922-3061
Nicole Ferrara, Deputy Chief Planning Officer, (213) 547-4322
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Ray Sosa, Chief Planning Officer, (213) 922-2920
