Metro line in Southeast LA clears final hurdle

Construction on the first segment of a new Metro line connecting cities in Southeast Los Angeles to Downtown LA will likely begin by the end of this year after the $7.1 billion project cleared its final regulatory hurdle last week.

The Metro Board of Directors unanimously certified the final environmental analysis for the eventual 19-mile line that will serve 1.4 million residents in cities including Artesia, Downey, Paramount, Bellflower and Cerritos.

“No more waiting and wondering,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who represents Long Beach and parts of southeast LA, said in a statement. “This project will go forward.”

Hahn, who is also vice chair of the Metro Board, described the project as “transformational,” noting that 44% of the people it will serve live below the poverty line and need reliable transportation.

The first phase of construction will cover the line’s segment between the A Line’s Slauson Station and Artesia. This segment includes eight stations.

Every city along the Southeast Gateway Line entered into a cooperative agreement with Metro, indicating their support for the project and desire to get it built as soon as possible.

“Many of our residents will depend on the Southeast Gateway Line to move around, and I look forward to welcoming visitors from across our region to Artesia,” Ali Taj, mayor pro tem of Artesia, said in a statement.

The project already has $2 billion committed in local and state funding, and officials hope to secure federal funds to pay for the remainder of the work.

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