Los Angeles County Metro officials received more than $2 billion in federal funds Wednesday to extend the Purple Line subway more than three miles into West Los Angeles. The subway extension is planned to eventually connect Westwood and Downtown L.A.
The $1.25 billion grant and a $856 million federally backed loan will allow construction on the subway extension to begin later this year, according to a Metro press release. It will fund the first phase of construction, which will bring the Purple Line as far west as La Cienega Blvd. in Beverly Hills. The entire subway extension project is expected to cost $6.3 billion.
The first phase is expected to open in 2023, and will support more than 25,000 jobs.
Metro officials plan to open two Purple Line stations in Westwood in 2036. The stations are not included in the first phase of construction.
When the stations open, riders will be able to travel from Westwood to Union Station downtown in about 25 minutes.
L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said in the release that he thinks many people in West L.A. currently plan parts of their lives around heavily congested traffic.
“Extending the subway will offer commuters an alternative to driving through one of the most congested metropolitan street and highway systems in the nation,” Yaroslavsky said.
