Meeting_Body
CONSTRUCTION COMMITTEE
OCTOBER 14, 2026
Preamble
Motion by:
DIRECTORS YAROSLAVSKY, RICHARDSON, AND HORVATH
Low Carbon Concrete Motion
The greater Los Angeles region has one of the largest concrete markets in the nation, with an estimated 15 to 20 million cubic yards of annual demand, the volumetric equivalent of pouring concrete for one Olympic swimming pool every two hours. As a significant and long-term player in the Los Angeles construction market, Metro must consider how to most responsibly set forth delivering its expanding transportation portfolio.
Globally, construction is responsible for 23% of greenhouse gas emissions. The embodied carbon from cement manufacturing is responsible for an estimated 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions through limestone calcination and fossil fuel combustion in the high-temperature kilns that heat concrete to 1,400-1,500 degrees Celsius.
Last month, USGBC California released a report on the low carbon concrete market in Los Angeles, in partnership with the City of Los Angeles, City of Long Beach, and the County of Los Angeles. The report made a set of recommendations based on responses to a Request for Information from manufacturers, ready-mix suppliers, precast producers, material innovators, and construction industry partners on commercially available and emerging low-carbon concrete solutions. The report shows that lower carbon concrete options are commercially available and in 79% of cases, these options are available at or near cost parity. These options could cut emissions by up to 25% in the near term. The report recommendations highlighted the importance of addressing fragmented purchasing across public agencies, which limit the emergence of predictable, multi-year volume commitments necessary to justify supplier capital investments.
Subject
SUBJECT: LOW CARBON CONCRETE MOTION
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
APPROVE Motion by Yaroslavsky, Richardson, and Horvath that the Board direct Metro to join the cities of Los Angeles and Long Beach and the County in a collaborative effort led by USGBC California to reduce construction-related greenhouse gas emissions by undertaking a phased approach to the use of low carbon concrete in construction materials.
We further move that the Chief Executive Officer initiate a small-scale pilot with low-risk projects, such as the six climate resilience hubs under development, that can systemically support staff and deepen expertise and familiarity with the available options in the market for materials with cost-parity with traditional materials. Pairing this pilot with Metro’s existing climate resilience portfolio strengthens the opportunity to use low carbon construction materials in customer-facing projects in time for the 2028 Games.
We further move that the CEO report back on any relevant material specification and/or purchasing policy updates to support a shift to the use of low carbon concrete at cost parity in alignment with other efforts around the region.