Plans for a 1.7-mile people mover project that would drop Los Angeles rail commuters at the foot of SoFi Stadium were upended after South Bay cities rejected a request for an additional $493 million to build the project, putting $1 billion in federal funding at risk. funding.
The $2.4 billion elevated rail line that Inglewood Mayor James Butts hoped to open before the 2028 Olympics is meant to soar above the city’s downtown and attract tourists. But its increasing cost and design changes have made it difficult to sell.
Initial support from Rams owner Stan Kroenke and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, who invested billions to make the Los Angeles suburb an entertainment giant and was an ally of Butts, faded this year after projects emerged showing that rail construction would reduce their property line. And the construction awaited for years and the loss of an alley outside the concert halls soured them.
MP Maxine Waters, another early supporter, recently objected to the “waste”, saying it was not worth it.
Thursday night saw a divided South Bay Cities government council, a 16-city joint authority doling out money from Measure R and Measure M, two local half-cent sales tax measures for projects transit system, rejected Butts’ request to cover the funding gap needed to fund the project.
“Our city and all those cities that voted no. We get nothing,” said Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor John Cruikshank, who opposed the high cost, along with leaders from El Segundo, Gardena, Hermosa Beach, Lawndale, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes Estate, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills. Domain and Torrance.
“We’ve already funded a lot of it,” he said. “They asked for more. And for me, I don’t see us giving anymore. This will put us to the test.
The vote marked a significant turning point for Butts, who rebuilt Inglewood and defied odds by creating a joint authority and gathering official support and funding for the project in four years, a relatively short period in the planning world transport. And although there is still time to seek other funds, the reality of the project carried out before the Olympics disappears.
Before the vote, Butts said it would be “game over” if Inglewood failed to secure the funding. But afterward, he seemed to hide.
“I’m not giving up on anything, but I’m realistic,” he said. “It was rejected. So, for all intents and purposes, that’s it.
Butts had sold the project as a “first-to-last-mile connector” to SoFi Stadium, the Intuit Dome, the Hollywood Park development, downtown Inglewood and other locations, arguing that it would bring people on metro rail lines and would ease traffic jams during games, concerts and other large events.
The three-stop people mover would connect to the K Line, creating a broader transit network for the growing rail system the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is building. But opponents say it would displace businesses from downtown Inglewood and that it would be cheaper and more efficient to create dedicated bus corridors to and from the entertainment district.
The South Bay group has already committed $358 million to the Inglewood Transit Connector and additional funds would have required them to create exceptions to their own rules that cap Measure R funding for any project at $250 million. Their previous funding round avoided this cap by splitting the cost between the two measures.
“There is no such thing as unlimited money,” executive director Jacki Bacharach told the board. She said Inglewood already received about 35 percent of Measure R funds and this would have brought it to more than half.
Paying to complete the Inglewood Transit Connector would take resources away from other South Bay projects and would roughly equal the average cost of 125 to 175 city projects such as intersection improvements, bike lanes and signal timing, she told the board.
This request would have created a complex financing structure and overhauled the group’s financing rules. Butts called for reprogramming money for road projects and creating a reimbursement mechanism funded by a special taxing district.
But its biggest obstacle ultimately came from its early supporters, who invested billions of dollars in suburban Los Angeles, turning it into an entertainment juggernaut.
“We have no intention of giving away land for free,” said Gerard McCallum II, senior project manager at Ballmer and Kroenke. “Why? Because it threatens future development. It threatens our parking lot. It threatens everything about these businesses.
In a letter to Butts, Ballmer said construction of the Transit Connector could jeopardize some of the largest planned sporting events.
“With upcoming international events expected to come to Inglewood over the next several years, including the Super Bowl, World Cup, NBA All-Star Game and Olympics, the proposal to partially close Prairie Avenue and Manchester for at least 36 months. for construction, the loss of access to our driveways, the destruction of our communications and utility infrastructure along the Prairies and the reduction of lanes, means that local businesses as well as guests attending events will be significantly impacted” , he wrote.
Butts told the board that construction plans have not changed since the sports giants provided their initial support. Prairie Avenue — where the connector is proposed to run and is the main route to SoFi, YouTube Theater, the Intuit Dome and the Kia Forum — will not be closed, he said.
“Some lanes will be closed gradually during the construction period,” he said. “By the time the Olympics are held, whether the train is operational or not, construction will be completed.”
Representatives from Los Angeles, Carson and Redondo Beach voted in favor of the project, along with the offices of two county supervisors representing the South Bay, both of whom serve on Metro’s board with Butts.
Board Chair and Metro Supervisor Janice Hahn said funding the Transit Connector would not endanger other South Bay projects and that backing down could send the wrong message to Washington down the line.
“When we come together as a region and support a project, it sends a huge message,” she said. “They’re sending it to a region that can work together and support each other, and that makes a difference for future funds.”
