Los Angeles Metro has started work on a major street project along Vermont Avenue. The agency held a groundbreaking Wednesday for the Vermont bus rapid transit line, its second groundbreaking in less than a week, Urbanize LA reported.
What's being built
The Vermont BRT will create dedicated bus lanes along 12.4 miles of Vermont between Hollywood Boulevard in Los Feliz and 120th Street in the unincorporated community of Athens, according to Urbanize LA. Plans call for 26 stops, with connections to Metro's B, C, D and E rail lines.
A Metro news release gives more detail on the construction. Because the street's curb-to-curb width ranges from 55 to 160 feet, the project uses side-running bus lanes, along with transit signal priority, off-board fare payment and all-door boarding.
The stations will get new weather and shade shelters, upgraded lighting, real-time arrival displays, emergency call buttons and ADA-compliant curb ramps, Metro said. The agency is also installing bus bulb-outs to shorten street crossings, along with wider sidewalks and protected bike lanes.
Riders and travel time
Vermont is the busiest bus corridor in Metro's system, with roughly 36,000 transit trips a day, Urbanize LA reported. Dedicated lanes are expected to grow that to about 66,000 daily riders. Metro projects 66,200. The project is expected to cut bus travel times from 70 minutes to 53 minutes, according to Urbanize LA. Metro says end-to-end travel times will drop by up to 24%.
Unlike a subway, riders won't have to wait for the entire line to be finished, Metro said. They can start seeing time savings as sections of bus lanes are completed.
Jobs and funding
Metro says the project is expected to support more than 4,800 construction jobs, generate $95 million in tax revenue and create roughly 260 permanent operations and maintenance positions.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who chairs the Metro board, said the project will create "good-paying union jobs."
Local money for the project came from the Measure M sales tax that Los Angeles County voters approved in 2016, Urbanize LA reported. On Sept. 1, the Federal Transit Administration awarded the project $149.9 million through its Capital Investment Grant Small Starts program, the program's maximum grant. Combined with state funds and Measure M revenue, the project is now fully funded, according to Metro.
Completion is expected before the 2028 Summer Olympics.
A train someday, but not soon
Metro is also exploring a subway or light rail line on the corridor, which could carry as many as 144,000 daily passengers, Urbanize LA reported. But funding for that would not be available until 2067.
"We approached this project with urgency and listened closely to the community, making critical adjustments as we are cutting travel times, fortifying our bus network and building a world-class transit system ready to move LA," Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins said.
Why it matters for contractors
The Vermont BRT is a 12.4-mile street rebuild packed into a tight schedule, with the 2028 Olympics as the finish line. That is a lot of work for civil, concrete and electrical contractors: bus lanes and pavement, curb and gutter, bulb-outs and wider sidewalks, ADA ramps, protected bike lanes, 26 stations with shelters, lighting and real-time displays, and transit signal priority at intersections.
Metro's estimate of more than 4,800 construction jobs gives a sense of the scale. Because the project is fully funded, including federal Small Starts money, contractors should expect federal requirements such as prevailing wage and disadvantaged business participation goals on at least some contracts.
Working along a busy, active corridor also means traffic control, phased construction and coordination with businesses along Vermont. Contractors who are good at keeping streets open while they work will have an edge.
Finally, Metro's phased approach, opening bus lanes as they're done, means work could move segment by segment, which can create opportunities for multiple crews and smaller firms. Contractors in Los Angeles should follow Metro's procurement notices for the Vermont BRT closely.