U.S. Signs Pact to Pay Share of Metro Rail

For more than 10 years the Los Angeles Metro Rail was little more than a series of changing lines on a map in a lobbyist’s briefcase, but Wednesday the first leg of the ambitious 18.5-mile subway project was enshrined in a contract, committing the federal government to help build the initial 4.4 miles.

At a ceremonial signing attended by Sen. Pete Wilson (R-Calif.), Mayor Tom Bradley and some 50 other local government officials and civic leaders at the downtown Chamber of Commerce, Ralph Stanley, head of the U.S. Urban Mass Transportation Administration, signed a contract for about 50% of the $1.25-billion downtown segment of the subway line that is to run from Union Station to Alvarado Street.

The federal contribution is a lot less than the 67% share that area backers of the project originally hoped to get, but it did not dim the high spirits of local officials, such as Bradley, who have doggedly fought to keep the Metro Rail from dying at the hands of a hostile Administration in Washington.

Congressional Drama

The future of Metro Rail was in the balance less than two weeks ago when Bradley rushed to Washington to help persuade members of Congress to vote against a measure that would have delayed the start of construction for a year. As it is, local officials plan to break ground next month.

At the signing ceremony Wednesday, Metro Rail backers continued to express faith that the construction of the first 4.4 miles will lead not just to the completion of the 18.5-mile subway system from downtown Los Angeles to the San Fernando Valley but to the creation of a countywide rail system.

“It is the beginning of a grid that will grow and provide mobility for all of our citizens, and as the grid grows, the gridlock will disappear,” said Rep. Glenn Anderson (D-Long Beach).

But alluding to future hurdles, Bradley warned that “there is some tough sledding ahead.”

The mayor did not elaborate on the challenges that are looming, one of which is covering a $200-million shortfall in the initial construction costs. Although the federal contract specifically excludes paying for that shortfall, local officials are optimistic about a pending bill in Congress that would raise an extra $100 million by next year.

The Southern California Rapid Transit District, the local agency in charge of the project, and the coalition of civic and government leaders who are working with the agency have yet to decide on the route of the rail line once it heads north toward the Valley from Alvarado Street.

An underground methane explosion last year near Farmer’s Market in the Fairfax area put an end to the original planned alignment.

And while there is no guarantee of federal financing beyond the first 4.4-mile downtown segment, key backers of the project in the San Fernando Valley are saying that their continued support of the project is contingent upon construction in the Valley starting within a year of downtown ground breaking.

Withdrawal of support by Valley officials could jeopardize more than $200 million in state financing for the downtown segment.