State legislators appear just as unwilling as Trump to pay for Olympics-related transportation projects.
L.A. Metro officials have spent years pleading with the federal government to provide funding for LA28 transportation — and Sacramento is just as hesitant to provide the much-needed money. “L.A. Metro asked [the California state government] for $379 million for Olympics-related transportation projects in the just-completed legislative session. It got only $20 million,” James Rainey and Justine McDaniel write for the LA Times.
California lawmakers rejected funding for projects that included adding seating, Wi-Fi and restrooms to transit hubs and installing emergency tracks where light rail trains — some of which are expected to carry twice as many passengers as usual during the Olympics and Paralympics — can divert if they break down, preventing delays.
The LA Times reports:
“We started to hear this phrase that they didn’t want to ‘bail out the federal government,’” said one Southern California transportation official, who declined to be named to speak candidly about closed-door talks with state lawmakers. “That felt like a way to avoid a serious conversation about what was really needed.”
Read the full story: L.A. struggling to get Olympics transit money from Sacramento
LA Metro’s ultimatum: no extra buses for LA28 if federal funding isn’t imminently secured
If Metro does not provide additional buses, LA28 organizers will have to find a new way to manage Olympic traffic. LA28’s budget does not include a line item for transit.
DOT loans LA Metro $802.5 million — for interstate expansion
The project will include widening 20 bridges and implementing dynamically priced toll collection.
L.A. Seeking Funding for New Transit Projects Prior to the 2028 Summer Olympics
Los Angeles officials have been working for years to deliver a suite of transit projects in time for the 2028 Olympics. Planners now hope federal infrastructure funding could reinvigorate the effort.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet
Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.
California lawmakers approve just 5% of much-needed LA28 transportation funding
State legislators appear just as unwilling as Trump to pay for Olympics-related transportation projects.
MTA looks to bring AI-assisted, multilingual announcement system to subways
Some of the transit agency’s audio systems haven’t been upgraded in 40 years.
Houston Metro makes on-demand rideshare pilot a permanent part of its network
The transit agency is launching upgrades to three of its on-demand services.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello