In the past year, Los Angeles has undergone a multitude of developments to improve its infrastructure, offerings, and environment, further propelling the city toward modernity through historical renovations, newer constructions, and overall maintenance. One of these highly anticipated projects, “Twenty-Eight by ‘28”, is a series of road and transit projects slated to be completed by the 2028 Summer Olympics Games being held here.

Twenty-Eight by ‘28 is spearheaded by LA Metro and Mayor Eric Garcetti, and the program aims to alleviate LA’s notoriously congested roads and provide a more efficient, accessible mode of transportation with a variety of alternatives for Angelenos and visitors to see, reach, and experience all that the county has to offer. Last year, we reviewed a few noteworthy components of Twenty-Eight by ’28, and a year later, we’re here to check on their progress and on new developments to be aware of.

UPDATES ON TWENTY-EIGHT BY ’28 PROJECTS

Downtown Regional Connector

The dream of a stress-free, seamless public transportation route to DTLA from the east and west will soon be a reality. In May 2018, LA Metro celebrated the Downtown Regional Connector’s halfway milestone with a community gathering, after the completion of a second 1.1-mile twin underground tunnel. Angeli, the state-of-the-art tunnel boring machine used for excavation, made the progress possible by digging 50-70 feet of per day, displacing a total of over 240,000 tons of earth. The project remains on schedule for a 2021 completion, with efforts shifting toward three new passenger stations located at 1^st& Central, 2^nd& Broadway, and 2^nd& Hope. Metro is also looking to raise a new structure for the 1^st& Central station, and will be seeking developers with “bold” ideas to pitch based on the community’s feedback.

Crenshaw/LAX Line

While the Crenshaw/LAX Line extension is currently being worked on, a recent statement made by Metro’s chief program management officer, Richard Clarke, declares that the project is about 5 months behind due to electrical issues on the northern part of the line. Although it is slated for completion in the fall of 2019, there is currently no firm date for when commuters can begin riding on the line. Furthermore, the project was graciously granted additional budget for a northern expansion, which will connect it to the Red and Purple Lines and include service to West Hollywood. Metro has allocated $2.3m for this supplement through Measure M, although the proposed options seem to exceed this budget.

Automated People Mover

Los Angeles World Airports, operators of LAX, selected early on in the year their recommendation for who should develop and oversee this much-awaited project: LAX Integrated Express Solutions (LINXS). Upon this decision, the organization declared they would follow proper next steps and would seek approval from the Airport Commission and City Council, with more highlights of the project made available for public knowledge. The driverless transport will feature a guideway channel (as opposed to light rail train tracks), a consolidated rent-a-car center, and 24/7 service running every 2 minutes. This project is set to break ground in early 2019 and targeted to be operational by 2023.

NEWER DEVELOPMENTS FOR TWENTY-EIGHT BY ‘28

Purple Line Extension

One of Metro’s priority projects is the lengthening of the current Purple Line from its Wilshire/Western station into the Westside. Service is to run from Downtown LA through to the Miracle Mile, Beverly Hills, and Westwood, and is just a convenient 25-minute trip each way. The project is currently underway, and is divided into three sections—the first phase being developed from Wilshire/Western to Wilshire/La Cienega is now under construction, followed by Phase 2 extending to Century City and Phase 3 rounding out the completion. The Purple Line Extension is set to be operational by 2026, making it an efficient and accessible way to reach the Olympic Village at UCLA and see golf events at The Riviera Country Club during the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Los Angeles River Path Project

For a span of 8 miles between Elysian Valley and Vernon, there is no safe, paved trail for DTLA bike riders and pedestrians to be on. But thanks to this portion of Metro’s Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan, this stretch of land will be given the attention it deserves with a newly designed and constructed pathway closing the gap in the titular bike path. It will result in a 32-mile continuous corridor for walking and biking through LA County between Long Beach and San Fernando Valley along the river. Metro is setting its sights on environmentally clearing and fulfilling permit requirements in its next project phase for a scheduled completion of 2025. Just in time for the Olympics, those looking to spectate the various events in DTLA can easily use the path and enjoy the surroundings.

MUCH MORE TO COME

There will be more to come for Metro’s Twenty-Eight by ’28. We’ll continue to keep our pulse on these projects and help you prepare for the 2028 Games. In the meantime, you can see some of these developments in real-time by parking at one of our many Locations, or by checking our social media pages for timely updates and other DTLA-related content!