Meeting_Body
PLANNING AND PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE
MAY 14, 2025
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
MAY 15, 2025
Subject
SUBJECT: RAIL TO RIVER ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION CORRIDOR SEGMENT B
Action
ACTION: APPROVE RECOMMENDATION
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
CONSIDER:
A. APPROVING the proposed Metro Rail to River Active Transportation Corridor Segment B Project (Segment B) to be implemented in coordination with the Randolph Corridor Active Transportation (AT) Project being led by the City of Commerce;
B. APPROVING the programming of $3.15 million from the Measure R Program for Segment B as an Initial Investment Priority identified in the Long Beach-East Los Angeles Corridor Mobility Investment Plan (LB-ELA CMIP) to local jurisdiction(s), including the City of Commerce and/or Bell;
C. AUTHORIZING the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or their designee to enter into the necessary funding agreement and/or amend an existing funding agreement with local jurisdiction(s) to implement Segment B; and
D. AUTHORIZING the CEO to file a Notice of Exemption (NOE) with the Los Angeles County Clerk and the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research to fulfill the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements for a Categorical Exemption (CE).
Issue
ISSUE
Due to the overlapping project limits and similarities in scope between Metro’s Segment B project and the AT project led by the City of Commerce on behalf of the cities of Huntington Park, Bell, and the County of Los Angeles, Metro staff and these jurisdictions have reached a consensus on a partnership to complete environmental clearance and continue with design coordination. The local jurisdictions would construct, operate, and maintain the new facilities.
Additionally, Metro staff have been working on the conceptual design and environmental clearance of the Segment B Project. Board approval of the proposed Segment B project is required for Metro to file a Notice of Exemption (NOE) and satisfy CEQA requirements for environmental clearance. Board approval is also required for Metro to program the funds to the local jurisdictions to implement Segment B, and for the CEO or her designee to execute all necessary agreements and/or amend an existing funding agreement with one or more local jurisdictions to complete the Segment B work.
Background
BACKGROUND
In October 2012, the Board approved a motion directing staff to consider implementing an active transportation corridor as an intermediate use for the Metro-owned Harbor Subdivision rail right-of-way (ROW). In October 2014, after the completion of the Rail to River Intermediate Active Transportation Corridor Feasibility Study (Feasibility Study), the Board directed staff to move forward with the study recommendations, including completing the project in two phases. The first phase, Segment A, is the Rail to Rail component that uses primarily Metro-owned rail ROW along Slauson Avenue to connect the K Line Fairview Heights Station to the A Line Slauson Station (approximately 5.6 miles). This first segment is currently under construction and opening is anticipated in Spring 2025.
The second phase, Segment B, is the Rail to River component extending the project 4.3 miles further east from the A Line Slauson Station to the Los Angeles River, traversing a small segment of unincorporated Los Angeles County and the cities of Huntington Park and Bell (See Attachment A). The Feasibility Study recommended a detailed alternatives analysis for Segment B due to multi-jurisdictional collaboration and coordination needs, current and planned land uses, Los Angeles River master planning, and design constraints.
In April of 2017, Metro staff completed an Alternatives Analysis (AA) and the Board approved staff’s recommendation to select Randolph Street for Segment B. The AA examined corridors identified from the Feasibility Study: Malabar Corridor; Southern California Edison Utility Corridor; Slauson Avenue; and Randolph Street. The Randolph Street alternative ranked high in the technical analysis and was favored by the community and the local agencies. The Cities of Huntington Park, Vernon, Bell, and Maywood submitted letters of support for the Randolph Street alternative. In addition, extensive and comprehensive outreach was conducted to solicit feedback on the alternatives, including three Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) meetings with local agency representatives, three Community Advisory Committee (CAC) meetings with local community-based organizations, and six community meetings with the public.
Segment B was originally envisioned to share a segment (approximately 2.3 miles) of the railroad ROW in the median of Randolph Street with the Union Pacific Railroad and the future Southeast Gateway Line (SGL) light rail project. However, after further design of the SGL project, it became clear that the existing railroad ROW could not accommodate the existing freight tracks, the future SGL project and Segment B. As a result, Metro conducted a Supplemental Alternatives Analysis (SAA) to re-evaluate Randolph Street and identify additional on-street options for Segment B active transportation improvements.
In addition to reconsidering Randolph Street, the SAA evaluated parallel streets such as Gage Avenue and analyzed a mixture of hybrid street alignments (combinations of neighborhood streets with Randolph Street). Over the course of the analysis, coordination with the SGL project team provided additional insight into the ROW constraints of Randolph; after completion of SGL and the Pacific/Randolph station, Randolph’s two existing traffic lanes will be reduced to one lane in each direction between Holmes Avenue and State Street. Acknowledging SGL’s improvements, the SAA recommended an interim bike lane condition on Randolph Street that would need to be redesigned into a longer-term shared lane bike route condition following the implementation of SGL. Despite these constraints, Randolph Street alternative became the staff recommendation, with high scores for minimal environmental impacts, ability for permitting and coordination streamlining, and alignment with planned projects. Randolph Street continued to have strong support from the cities, with renewed letters of support from the Cities of Huntington Park and Bell, and a new letter of support from the City of Commerce. Similar to the AA phase, robust outreach was conducted during the SAA phase to inform analysis, including five Technical Working Group (TWG) meetings with local agency representatives, three CAC meetings with local community-based organizations, six community meetings with the public, and over fifteen briefings with the local agencies. In August 2022, the Board received the SAA findings and approved maintaining Randolph Street as the preferred alignment for Segment B, with proposed active transportation improvements to be located in the street.
Prior to the Board’s continued support of Randolph Street as the preferred alignment for Segment B, the City of Commerce, acting as the lead agency, secured $6,703,891 in Metro Active Transport (MAT) Cycle 1 grant funding for the AT Project. The AT Project includes a wide range of bicycle and pedestrian improvements along Randolph Street, including, but not limited to, bike lanes, ADA curb ramps, signal improvements, high-visibility crosswalks, and lighting. The project limits for the AT Project overlap with Segment B from the Slauson A Line Station to the L.A. River and extends eastward beyond Segment B an additional 2.3 miles into the City of Commerce.
Although this project is distinct from Segment B, both projects share similar goals, objectives, scopes, and project boundaries for active transportation improvements on Randolph Street. Consequently, Metro staff coordinated with the AT Project team to avoid duplication of efforts and to create a high-quality, regional active transportation corridor along Randolph Street, particularly considering the similarities in goals and objectives for AT improvements.
In April 2024, the Board adopted the LB-ELA CMIP along with its recommendations for programming the $743 million in Measure R and M funds assigned to I-710 South improvements to fund an array of multimodal projects and programs that were identified, developed, and prioritized through an extensive two-and-a-half-year community and stakeholder engagement process guided by the principles of equity and sustainability and shaped by the consensus goals of air quality, community, environment, mobility, opportunity, prosperity, and safety. Segment B was identified in the Board adopted LB-ELA CMIP as an Initial Investment Priority and identified $3.15 million in Measure R funding. Prior to the adoption of the LB-ELA CMIP, Segment B had no designated funding for implementation.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
As the owners and operators of local streets, the cities and LA County have authority over projects within their jurisdiction. In May and June 2024, during design coordination meetings with the local jurisdictions (including the City of Maywood), the Segment B team presented various dedicated bikeway design concepts along the corridor for their feedback and approval. These design concepts included improvements on both the north and south sides of Randolph Street (Randolph Street is divided by Union Pacific Railroad in the center median).
During the design coordination, the jurisdictions expressed a preference for the bicycle and pedestrian improvements being planned as part of the AT Project. However, the jurisdictions also supported Metro’s proposal for a new bicycle and pedestrian ramp connection to the existing L.A. River Bicycle Path in the City of Bell to complement and complete the AT corridor between the Metro A Line Slauson Station and L.A. River. Metro did not propose AT improvements in the City of Commerce since the Segment B limits end at the western bank of the L.A. River. With the addition of the new ramp connection in the City of Bell, Metro staff believe the AT improvements included in the AT Project plans fulfill the goals and objectives of the Segment B project.
The collaboration carried out for these combined AT improvements enables the local jurisdictions to prioritize enhancements that best meet their community’s needs, promote efficiency in design and construction, and provide an opportunity for the City of Huntington Park to maximize their 3% local match contribution for the SGL project.
Randolph Corridor Active Transportation (AT) Project
The AT Project is a multi-jurisdictional active transportation improvements project that spans approximately seven miles across the cities of Commerce, Bell, Huntington Park, and unincorporated Los Angeles County. The project aims to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety by creating a network of active transportation facilities that enhance mobility, accessibility, and safety for all road users. The project includes the implementation of various bicycle and pedestrian improvements, ensuring compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and incorporating sustainable design elements where possible. The project includes approximately 3.5 miles of dedicated on-street bike lanes, 1.3 miles of bike routes, 1.1 miles of shared use paths, ADA-compliant curb ramps at 20 intersections, high-visibility crosswalks at 22 intersections, and pedestrian-scale lighting improvements.
The future SGL project overlaps with the AT/Segment B Corridor for approximately two miles along Randolph Street from the Slauson A Line station to Bissell Place in the City of Huntington Park and unincorporated Los Angeles County. When construction of the SGL project begins in this segment, Randolph Street and some AT project elements, including the bike lanes planned by the AT Project (between Holmes Avenue and Passaic Street), are expected to be modified to accommodate the light rail tracks. Coordination among the City of Huntington Park, the County of Los Angeles, and the SGL project team will continue on an ongoing basis to determine the final set of improvements within the new roadway configuration along Randolph Street between Holmes Avenue and Passaic Street.
The AT project is currently in the design phase with construction anticipated to begin in late 2025 or early 2026. Project opening is anticipated in 2026 or 2027.
Segment B Pedestrian/Bicycle Ramp
Currently, there are two existing access points to the L.A. River Bicycle Path at Randolph Street. The northern access point in the City of Maywood has a fenced, paved, and gently sloping ramp connection to the river. The southern access point in the City of Bell, however, is unfenced, unpaved, and steep. Users connecting to the L.A. River Bicycle Path from the southern side of Randolph Street (where the AT Project is proposing improvements) would face unsafe conditions as they transition from the roadway to the existing active transportation facilities along the L.A. River Bicycle Path. Segment B’s proposed pedestrian/bicycle ramp will meaningfully improve the safety of the southern access point by making a wide, paved, ADA-compliant connection to the L.A. River Bicycle Path.
As part of the joint partnership, the cities will continue designing and constructing the active transportation improvements included in the AT Project. Meanwhile, Metro will focus on the design and environmental clearance for the new ramp connection to the L.A. River Bicycle Path, including coordination with Union Pacific Railroad and the Army Corps of Engineers. For the pedestrian and bicycle ramp connection, coordination between the City of Bell, the AT project, and Metro will determine the appropriate agency to construct the ramp. After construction, the City of Bell will be responsible for maintaining the ramp.
Project Cost Estimates & Funding
The total cost estimate for the active transportation improvements planned to-date along Randolph Street is approximately $10.2 million (in 2024 dollars) with approximately $8.7 million attributed to the AT Project and approximately $1.5 million for Segment B. Combined, Metro and the local jurisdictions have identified approximately $11.85 million in funding for these improvements, including the following sources: Metro has identified $3.15 million for Segment B through the LB-ELA CMIP; the City of Commerce (serving as the lead agency for the AT Project) has received $6.7 million from the MAT Cycle 1 grant program for active transportation improvements along Randolph Street; and the cities and County are collectively contributing an additional $2 million in local funds.
Based on preliminary cost estimates and identified funding, staff does not anticipate the need for additional grant funding but will continue to work with the grant awardees of the MAT Cycle 1 grant program and the ELA-LB CMIP, in providing grant oversight and support as design and cost estimates continue to advance.
Board approval of the proposed project for Segment B and the programming of the LB-ELA CMIP funds will accelerate the overall project schedule, including implementation before the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It also will allow for the cities’ qualifying active transportation improvements included in the First/Last Mile plan for the SGL project to be considered as potential eligible contributions towards the City of Huntington Park’s Measure M 3% Local Contribution for the SGL project. NOTE: Metro is not responsible for any operations and maintenance costs.
Stakeholder and Community Outreach
The current design of the AT improvements along Randolph Street are consistent with the plans shared with the communities during the Alternatives Analysis and SAA phases. Multiple rounds of community meetings were conducted during these prior studies to receive community feedback on the preferred alignment and types of improvements to be included.
As part of this phase of the project, an outreach plan was developed to engage residents and stakeholders from the unincorporated community of Florence/Firestone in Los Angeles County and the cities of Huntington Park, Bell, Maywood, and Commerce. As part of this effort, three community meetings (two in-person and one virtual) were held in February and March 2025 to provide a project update to the public and solicit their feedback. Over 30,000 notices were distributed to promote the community meetings with a digital campaign via Metro’s Gateway Cities regional newsletter, monthly Community Relations newsletter, website and helpline recording updates. The meetings were held jointly with the AT team in partnership with the County of Los Angeles and the Cities of Huntington Park, Bell, and Commerce. All meetings and meeting materials were provided in both English and Spanish. Through these efforts, more than 160 people joined the meetings and provided meaningful engagement and feedback.
The project also partnered with nine local Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) to promote the meetings and raise awareness of the active transportation improvements planned for Randolph Street as a result of both projects. These partnerships allow Metro to reach a wider audience and gain valuable insights and inclusive feedback from these equity-focused communities. Meeting notices were distributed: door-to-door to those with limited digital access, and using direct mail to property owners/landlords who may not physically reside at the address.
Additionally, fact sheets and meeting notices were made available at 134 local businesses and public facilities, including city halls, libraries, schools and other highly visited public spaces. Additional engagement activities included sharing information at seven pop-up events and conducting transit intercept surveys at seven locations. A toolkit with copy-ready content including social media, was also distributed to key stakeholders and CBO partners. The goal of these collective outreach efforts help Metro ensure that we are reaching all interested community groups and stakeholders, businesses, property owners, and tenants/residents.
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
The recommended actions will not have any impact on the safety of Metro customers and/or employees because this project is in the planning phase and no capital or operational impacts result from this Board action.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The Rail to River Segment B receives $3.15 million funding from LB-ELA CMIP project, which is funded from the Measure R Highway Capital sub fund for the I-710 Early Action Project in Cost Center 0441.
Since the LB-ELA CMIP is a multiyear program that contains various projects, Countywide Planning and Development will be responsible for budgeting the costs in current and future years.
Impact to Budget
$500,000 for Rail to River Segment B is included in the FY26 Proposed Budget under the new project (NewLBELACMIP) that will be established for the LB-ELA CMIP effort. The fund source of fund for this action is Measure R 20% Highway Funds, which is not eligible for transit capital or operations expenses.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
The Segment B project is anticipated to benefit marginalized communities by investing in and advancing active transportation improvements in historically underserved, low-income communities of color. Based on the 2022 Equity Focus Community (EFC) criteria, the entire (100%) project corridor is located in EFCs. The project area has a low-income population of 28.3%, as defined by the 2019 Metro Title VI Update, which considers individuals with incomes below $41,500 (the median income for a three-person household). The area is predominantly Hispanic, comprising 94.6% of the population, with 2.2% of the population identifying as Black. Additionally, due to all of the outreach efforts conducted to date, the key stakeholders and communities along the corridor have consistently expressed their preference for active transportation improvements along Randolph Street. Overall, the project furthers needed investment and advancement of transportation solutions, particularly for communities of color and low-income population areas.
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.
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 through planning activities that will improve and further encourage transit ridership, ridesharing, and active transportation. Specifically, this item will extend the nearly completed Segment A project, also referred to as Rail to Rail - which provides six miles of a protected active transportation corridor - with an additional four miles of AT improvements that will connect to the Los Angeles River. 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
The Segment B project will achieve bike and pedestrian improvements, connect to transit, and grow and expand active transportation in South LA and Southeast LA County. The project supports the following goals outlined in the Metro Vision 2028 Strategic Plan:
• Strategic Goal #1: Provide high-quality mobility options that enable people to spend less time traveling;
• Strategic Goal #2: Enhance communities and lives through mobility and access to opportunity; and
• Strategic Goal #3: Provide responsive, accountable, and trustworthy governance within the Metro organization
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
The Board could elect not to approve the Segment B project. However, this is not recommended as the coordination with local jurisdictions offers an opportunity to advance the implementation of the Project on schedule with other complementary AT improvements being planned in the corridor. In addition, the approval of Segment B provides the City of Huntington Park additional potential credit towards the Measure M 3% Local Contribution for the SGL project. Secondly, the Board could elect not to approve the programming of the LB-ELA CMIP funds. However, this option is not recommended as the programmed amount has already been approved by the Board with the adoption of the LB-ELA CMIP in April 2024. Furthermore, not approving the item will delay the development of the project and completion may not occur before the 2028 Games.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Upon Board approval, staff will coordinate the necessary environmental approvals and continue to progress the Segment B river ramp design in coordination with the AT Project. Staff will work with the local jurisdiction(s) to program the $3.15 million from the LB-ELA CMIP and to develop or amend the necessary funding agreement.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Map of Segment B
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Matthew Abbott, Transportation Manager, (213) 547-4285
Jacqueline Su, Transportation Manager, (213) 922-2847
Akiko Yamagami, Senior Transportation Manager, (213) 547-4305
Martha Butler, Senior Director, (213) 922-7651
Cory Zelmer, Deputy Executive Officer, (213) 922-1079
Allison Yoh, Executive Officer, (213) 922-7510
Michael Cano, Executive Officer, (213) 418-3010
David Mieger, Senior Executive Officer, (213) 922-3040
Nicole Ferrara, Deputy Chief Planning Officer, (213) 547-4322
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Ray Sosa, Chief Planning Officer, (213) 547-4274
