After nearly a decade of construction and street closures through much of downtown, the long-awaited $1.8 billion Metro Regional Connector rail project is slated to open next week, two years late and more than $300 million over budget. When it opens on June 16, this new 1.9-mile light rail line underneath downtown will connect three of Metro’s light rail lines, allowing passengers to travel between Azusa and Long Beach and between East Los Angeles and Santa Monica without transferring lines.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) CEO Stephanie Wiggins is busy. Going on two years as Metro CEO, it’s a good kind of busy with a lot of accomplishments and improvements.
Metro yesterday celebrated the success of its Business Solution Center, Business Interruption Fund and the Eat, Shop, Play construction mitigation programs, all of which have all helped local businesses survive during the prolonged construction period for the 8.5-mile Crenshaw/LAX Line.