INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The city of Inglewood will receive more than $1 billion in federal funds for the Inglewood Transit Connector project, a planned 1.6-mile, three-station elevated “automated people mover” rail line connecting three major sports and entertainment facilities to the LA Metro light rail system.
The grant from the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Program will cover 50% of the expected cost of the project providing service to SoFi Stadium, home of the LA Rams; the Intuit Dome, future home of the LA Clippers, and the Forum, a major concert venue. The project is expected to be completed in time for the 2028 Olympics.
“This is a good day for the people of Inglewood and the entire region,” Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts said in a press release. “By signaling its commitment to invest significantly in our project, the federal government is recognizing the importance of providing better transportation options for our residents and to everyone in our region who wants to work and visit our city and its outstanding sports, entertainment, and commercial facilities
The Transit Connector is designed to carry up to 11,000 people per hour. The new grant is on top of $873 million in local, state, and federal funds already secured. Three teams are currently preparing bids to build the project; one is expected to be selected this summer.
I’m not familiar with this area’s layout, etc., but only 1.6 miles, many people could elect to walk it. So, are they incorporating a parallel pedestrian walkway as well?
All good questions. Assuming about $2 billion total for the project and it goes 1.6 miles: that’s almost $240,000 for every foot! Outrageous!
How much are the Rams, Chargers, Clippers, and the concert promoters putting up. Just getting sick and tired of supporting rich professional sports team owners and players.
Agree, these owners should pony up the money. This people mover only benefits them. The NFL and NBA are the last people who should benefit from federal funds.
Federal Funds should definitely not be involved. The other big question is if any level of state and/or local government is involved in the construction, can the project be completed on schedule? After all, this is CA so it would probably be at least a small miracle if it happened.
What will be the return on investment? That is, how often will the system reach peak use? By my count, that is 17 days (two times a day) for pro football and 41 days for pro basketball. That is a whole lot of money for not much usage. And one billion dollars could buy a lot of rail cars or rail infrastructure repair/upgrades. And these are just a few examples of better use of funds.
Why is this paid of federal funds? Is it interstate transportation?
Answer: the State of California is broke. Washington is also broke but has the power to print money.