Meeting_Body
PLANNING AND PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE
MARCH 18, 2026
Subject
SUBJECT: ADOPT THE 2027 FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM FOR LOS ANGELES COUNTY
Action
ACTION: ADOPT THE RECOMMENDATION
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
ADOPT the resolution for the 2027 Los Angeles County Transportation Improvement (TIP) Program as shown in Attachment A.
Issue
ISSUE
As the designated County Transportation Commission for Los Angeles County, Metro is required every two years to submit a Metro Board adopted resolution to the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) certifying that Los Angeles County has the resources to fund and is committed to implementing the projects included in the 2027 Federal Transportation Improvement Program (FTIP) for Federal Fiscal Years (FFY) 2026/27 - 2031/32. Inclusion of projects in the FTIP is required for the allocation of federal funds, state and regional funds (as applicable), and for specific federal actions (including federal environmental clearance).
Background
BACKGROUND
As the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the six-county region that includes Los Angeles County, SCAG is required, under federal and state law, to develop the FTIP. The FTIP is a six-year document that lists projects to be funded with federal, state, and local funds. The FTIP is required to advance the planning and construction of projects included in SCAG’s Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (RTP/SCS). This is achieved through the systematic programming of funds for RTP/SCS projects in accordance with federal and state requirements, including scheduling, financing, and the timely implementation of transportation control measures to help reduce air pollution. The Board is required to approve a resolution certifying that funds are committed to support Los Angeles County projects in the FTIP Adoption. NOTE: Board approval of the individual projects is not required as part of this action, as all the projects have been previously approved through other actions, such as Board approval for Metro projects, State approval for Active Transportation Program (ATP) projects, projects included in the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), federal earmarks, and the SCAG Call for Projects.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
Projects from each of SCAG’s six counties are included in their respective TIPs and then submitted to SCAG for inclusion in the FTIP. In California, the FTIP is updated every two years to comply with both state and federal requirements. SCAG’s 2025 FTIP, which programs funds for FFY 2024/25 - 2029/30, was approved by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on December 16, 2024. SCAG is scheduled to adopt the 2027 FTIP in December 2026. A joint air quality conformity determination from the FHWA and the FTA is required for the approval of SCAG’s 2027 FTIP and is also anticipated in December 2026. The 2027 Los Angeles County TIP includes nearly 995 projects valued at approximately $33 billion for about 100 agencies. All the projects in the 2027 FTIP support both Metro’s adopted Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) as well as the local agencies’ plans.
For the 2027 FTIP Adoption, Metro hosted several virtual workshops with local agencies to inform agency staff about the adoption schedule and the process for updating existing projects or adding new projects to the FTIP. Workshops occurred on September 8 and 15, 2025. All agencies that could potentially have federal funding programmed in the 2025 FTIP were invited. Metro also provided a step-by-step guide to support agencies through the adoption process. Metro submitted the list of Metro Board approved projects and projects from Los Angeles County agencies as part of the 2027 FTIP Adoption to SCAG on January 6, 2026. SCAG is currently reviewing these projects. After all technical comments are addressed, SCAG will post the projects on its website for public comment from July 9 to August 7, 2026.
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
Adoption of the resolution will have no direct impact on the safety of Metro customers or employees. The Los Angeles County TIP will allow Metro and other project sponsors to program and receive funding, enabling the timely realization of the projects’ anticipated safety benefits.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Adoption of the resolution will allow Metro to program and secure federal, state, and regional funds for projects in Los Angeles County.
Impact to Budget
Adoption of the resolution for the 2027 Los Angeles County TIP has no impact on the FY 2026 Budget.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
The 2027 FTIP incorporates multiple layers of accountability to ensure that disadvantaged communities are not left behind in transportation improvement projects. Many of Metro’s projects in the FTIP are guided by the Equity Platform’s four pillars for planning and implementing projects in disadvantaged areas of Los Angeles County. In addition, Metro is collaborating with SCAG to further integrate the MPO’s Racial Equity Early Action Plan, adopted in July 2020 by its Regional Council, into the FTIP for local agencies’ projects.
Similar to the most recent adopted 2025 FTIP cycle, SCAG is implementing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion considerations into the 2027 FTIP by working with County Transportation Commissions, including Metro, to incorporate new equity input. These considerations will assess how and where investments are being made across the region and address equity issues within transportation improvements in Environmental Justice areas, Disadvantaged Communities, Priority Equity Communities, and/or Communities of Concern.
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.
While the agency remains committed to reducing VMT through transit and multimodal investments, some projects may induce or increase personal vehicle travel. However, these individual projects aim to ensure the efficient and safe movement of people and goods. Although the highway project improvements included in the FTIP may not directly contribute to achieving 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, which, individually, may induce or increase VMT. Additionally, Metro has a voter-approved mandate to deliver multimodal projects that enhance mobility while ensuring the efficient and safe movement of people and goods. As part of these ongoing efforts, this item is expected to contribute to further reductions in VMT.
This item supports Metro’s systemwide strategy to reduce VMT by providing funding to enhance transit systems and to support various multimodal plans, programs, and infrastructure improvements throughout the region. These investment activities will benefit and further encourage transit ridership, ridesharing, and active transportation. Metro’s Board-adopted VMT reduction targets were designed to build on the success of existing investments, and this item aligns with those objectives.
*Based on population estimates from the United States 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
Approval of these recommendations will support the following Strategic Plan Goals:
Goal 3: Enhance communities and lives through mobility and access to opportunity by securing funding that will conduct planning, create and enhance programs, and build infrastructure that accelerates infill development that facilitates housing supply, choice, and affordability, affirmatively further fair housing, and reduce VMT.
Goal 4: Transform LA County through regional collaboration and national leadership by facilitating partnerships to deliver transportation projects with significant geographic or regionwide benefits.
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
The Board could elect not to adopt the resolution shown in Attachment A. Staff does not recommend this alternative. By not adopting the resolution, the Los Angeles County TIP will not be included in SCAG’s 2027 FTIP. Therefore, Metro and other agencies in Los Angeles County will not be able to program and receive federal, state, and regional funding allocations for their projects. This may jeopardize the timely implementation of projects in Los Angeles County that have funds programmed through FFY 2031/32. It may also result in the loss of funding allocations due to federal and state lapsing and/or project inactivity policies, as well as in the ineligibility for future funding allocations.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
With Board approval of our recommendation, staff will submit the resolution to SCAG by the March 31, 2026, deadline.
Attachments
ATTACHMENT
Attachment A Resolution for the 2027 Los Angeles County TIP
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Michael Richmai, Senior Manager, (213) 922-2558
Nancy Marroquin, Senior Director, (213) 418-3086
Mark Yamarone, Executive Officer, (213) 418-3452
Laurie Lombardi, Senior Executive Officer, (213) 418-3251
Nicole Ferrara, Deputy Chief Planning Officer, (213) 547-4322
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Ray Sosa, Chief Planning Officer,(213) 547-4274
