Court Clears Way for Work to Resume on Alameda Corridor

An appeals court has thrown out a legal complaint filed by cities along the route of planned Alameda Corridor, clearing the way for engineering work on the $1.9-billion train and truck thoroughfare to continue after months of delays.

“We have concluded that the complaining cities . . . have no standing,” the appeals panel wrote in its opinion filed Wednesday.

The central complaint of the cities along the route is that they had inadequate representation on the committee that controls the project’s finances. The cities filed their complaint last year against Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Officials from the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority said engineering work on three major points on the route had been delayed, and a handful of political and financial services contracts ended because their cash flow was frozen while the complaint was in the courts.

“We’re gratified the court adopted our position on this litigation,” said Los Angeles Port Commissioner Jonathan Y. Thomas. “We look forward to working with all parties to ensure the Alameda Corridor gets built by the year 2001.”