Just days after breaking ground on a major transit project in the San Fernando Valley, LA Metro again put shovels in the ground to kick off construction of another project in the heart of Los Angeles.
On Wednesday, LA Metro officially broke ground on the Vermont Corridor Bus Rapid Transit Project, a 12.4-mile rapid transit line with dedicated bus lanes in one of the busiest traffic corridors in the County.
The Vermont BRT will run north to south along Vermont Avenue, connecting Sunset Boulevard in East Hollywood to 120th Street in the Athens neighborhood of South Los Angeles.
The project is meant to improve traffic, provide faster service and upgrade existing stops and stations along the busiest bus corridor in the Los Angeles area.
“Vermont Avenue is one of the busiest and longest streets in our area and has a rich transit history dating back to the streetcars,” LA Metro officials said in the online blog The Source. “With the project, ridership is projected to surge from 38,000 daily boardings to 66,200-plus by 2045.”
The Vermont Avenue corridor also serves 88 schools and 375 churches and other “faith-based institutions” throughout the various neighborhoods it slices through.
What will LA Metro’s Vermont BRT accomplish?
The project includes upgrades at 26 transit stations at 13 major intersections. Those upgrades include accessible curb ramps, improved protection from the sun and inclement weather, real-time arrival information, improved lighting and emergency call buttons.
LA Metro estimates that the BRT will save riders as much as 17 minutes in travel time between Sunset and the 105 Freeway—that’s a 24% reduction of travel time, officials said.
The bus rapid transit line will also create easier connections with Metro’s trains, including the C and E light rail lines, and the B and D subways. It will also provide easier connections to more than 13 bus routes that travel from east to west.
“Those connections will help riders travel well beyond Vermont Avenue, whether they’re commuting to work, heading to class or visiting family,” LA Metro said.
The Vermont BRT project got a big boost from the federal government back in May, receiving nearly $150 million for construction. Additional funds come from Los Angeles County voters who approved a transit-focused sales tax initiative called Measure M, all the way back in 2016.
It’s a crucial part of L.A.’s transit future, and LA Metro says it hopes to have it completed in time for the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics.
- The East San Fernando Valley light rail project was also supposed to be completed by then, but groundbreaking for that line was held only a few days ago.
Unlike your typical bus line, the Vermont BRT will be able to avoid the gridlock typical of the busy arterial roadway. Officials said the bus line could also be converted into a light rail line in the 2060s.
Other BRT routes in the LA Metro system, namely the G Line in the San Fernando Valley, have also been identified for a potential rail conversion, although it likely won’t happen until the 2050s at the earliest.
LA Metro has several projects in the works
This is another in a growing list LA Metro’s ambitious plans to expand and improve the regional public transportation options.
Other major projects that could be completed in the coming years include another BRT line connecting North Hollywood to Pasadena with service in Burbank, Glendale and Eagle Rock along the way. That BRT line is also expected to be open in time for the Olympics.
The aforementioned East San Fernando Valley light rail line could be completed and operational by as early as 2032.
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