Tremendous population and employment growth in greater Los Angeles has led to increased traffic and congestion, straining the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) transit system. As part of a county-wide effort to improve the rail transit system and decrease traffic congestion, LA Metro retained CDM for several alternatives analysis and feasibility studies, including the Westside transit corridor extension project.
CDM recently completed the alternatives analysis study for the $4.9 billion endeavor, located in the most densely populated area of Los Angeles. After reviewing previous planning studies, CDM provided support in assessing changes and current conditions along the corridor, including studying factors that have led to these variations, such as population, development, employment, environment, and travel patterns.
As part of the study, CDM helped evaluate various modes of transportation, including bus rapid transit with dedicated bus lanes as well as at-, below-, and above-grade rail options. The project team is investigating possible phased-extension segments to align with client funding and budget. Based on current data, CDM has determined that increasing public transit ridership from 7 percent to 14 percent could help to mitigate future congestion, reducing tons of emissions and improving air quality.
In January 2009, CDM was awarded contract extensions for the second phase of work on the Westside extension. Over the next 2 to 3 years, CDM will assist in drafting environmental documentation services to determine the specific environmental impacts of rail construction and operations, and to establish necessary mitigation solutions. This will be followed by preliminary and conceptual engineering services, during which CDM will help determine the detailed layout of stations, enabling LA Metro to secure federal funding.
The Westside transit corridor extension project is just one of several rail projects that CDM and LA Metro are collaborating on. For more information on how CDM is helping with these initiatives, search this site for LA Metro.