LOS ANGELES — A rail transit line over Sepulveda Pass, connecting the San Fernando Valley and LA’s Westside, could cost almost $14 billion, significantly higher than previous estimates, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The figures for the route paralleling the traffic-choked 405 Freeway were released Tuesday by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. LA Metro is studying four possible routes — three subway and one monorail — which would connect a Metrolink commuter rail station and Orange Line busway in the San Fernando Valley to the Purple Line subway and Expo/Sepulveda light rail line. The various options range in cost from $9.4 billion to $13.8 billion.
About $5.7 billion for the project has been earmarked for the project from a sales-tax increase approved by voters in 2016. Metro says the cost of the project has risen because of its length, including a 2-mile extension to the Van Nuys Metrolink station, and because it could include a 12.8-mile tunnel. The agency says it will seek federal and state money to bridge the funding gap, and will consider partnerships with private-sector firms to reduce costs.
So the taxpayers approved the project based on cost projections that turned out to be too low – hardly surprising. Who takes the blame for the wrong projections – no one. Who pays – the taxpayer. Who wins – the consultants and govt officials that got their project and now are back to the taxpayers for more money. No one should ever trust the govt to get it right because they have their own agenda.
Didn’t Pacific Electric have a line to the San Fernando Valley through a different pass?
The PE San Fernando Valley lines went through Cahuenga Pass; US 101 traverses the pass now.
Why not have all public forms of transportation be paid for completely by user fees or tolls? Here in Mobile, located in one of the reddest states anywhere, the proposed toll on the yet to be built I-10 Mobile river bridge is causing an uproar. Most of the people whining are from Baldwin county and work in Mobile. Baldwin county is ultra red and as such anti government. It fun to watch the same people, including the same government officials that are fighting Amtrak’s re-entry in Mobile get red faced and stomp their feet over having to pay their way. Hypocrisy at its best!
John Privara,
The US Interstate and Highway system needs to be tolled. Pay as you go.
I 100% agree with Mr. Landey. My taxes have no reason being funneled to local projects that don’t benefit interstate commerce. Let the local population pay for their local issues.
Re: It’s not interstate transportation so there should be no federal share.
That should be true of highways and freeways too. Let’s count the number of cars (or airplanes) crossing the state line and only that percentage of total use gets funded by the Feds.
Stop paying for all those commuters that are freeloading too.
I agree Charles.
GERALD – I spend plenty of time in the South which is booming. If I’m there on a Sunday I go to Mass with people of every race and color who come (legally) from all over the world to make America better.
California? Haven’t been there in 24 years and I hope never again. If California doesn’t want to obey United States law they should secede.
Some People dislike California because it is both liberal and spectacularly successful. If they want to live in Kansas instead, fine with us!
Seems like for people in a certain political party, complaining about cost depends on what its for. There is never enough to do what they don’t want done (trains, for example), and always enough for what they want to do (highways or tax cuts for the rich, for example).
@Gerald Mcfarlane
Me agreeing with a another commenter isn’t complaining unless you know me personally..You must forget that The US government confiscates more from states than what states pay in.. You say California and New York help pay to keep the South going? Yet you don’t mention the billions of foreign aid that we payout to nations that serve us no benefit. or equal trade conditions.. Plus… How do you know the South is broke? You ever been down South? Those Southerns work harder than anybody I know and live accordingly unlike your fellows out in Commiefornia… So what’s the true drain on the Nation??? It’s not the South.. I suggest you get out and see this beautiful country we live in and talk to the folks perhaps it will give you a dose of reality instead of California Dreamin’….
LA can pay for this with its own money. It’s not interstate transportation so there should be no federal share.
Gerald, Read the United States Constitution. We are a federal republic.
Here’s the bottom line, Gerald. Yes I benefit from federal spending. Wisconsin (about 49 states) require a balanced budget for state, county, school districts and cities and towns. The federal government simply prints money. So which well is deeper? If Wisconsin wants something, it has two choices. (1) Raise Wisconsin taxes to pay for it (2) Go to Washington for fiat money consisting of electrons on a spreadsheet.
A government that gives you everything you want takes everything you have.
Re: Then people need to stop voting and filing taxes to shutdown are inefficient government
The smart-n-savvy don’t WANT efficient government (it would reduce their rake) and the dumb-n-clueless are distracted by the Kardashians and vote (which, you have to admit, is a brilliant concept if you happen to be someone who was nominated by smart-n-savvy people). The systems working the way it’s supposed too (the way the smart-n-savvy worked diligently to make it work).
Stop fantasizing about “what should be”. What IS, is what’s humanly natural.
Guess what…I have good news for those of you that say these are local issues. The U.S. economy is made up of thousands upon thousands of local economies that are supported by these so-called local issues…when you open your eyes and look at it realistically, these are no longer local issues but national issues. If you want to change the formulas on how taxes work, then let’s have states only get back from the Federal government what they pay in, that would solve, Charles, Andrew, Braden(and probably John) could stop complaining, but don’t start complaining when your state no longer gets enough money from the Feds to maintain it’s roadways or enough to build new projects because you don’t put in enough. Remember, California and New York’s payment into the Feds allows the Southern States to have all that money they get now, take that away and they’re broke.
Then people need to stop voting and filing taxes to shutdown are inefficient government.. That’s the only way to make the government insolvent .. Until then let the commodores roll
Re: The US Interstate and Highway system needs to be tolled. Pay as you go.
The US government needs to be efficient too. Maybe you should organize a group of people called “People for Efficient Government and Making Sure Everybody in Paying Their Own Share” (PEGAMSEPTO, for short) and start a movement.
But, until then, (as most people know) the purpose of government – and the reason it exists in the first place – is so the smart-n-savvy people can loot it. Which is why we have all this highway, airport, and military bling. And, now train bling.
(Good luck on finding enough people who actually want to “Pay their own Share” and will join your group.)