This morning, an important milestone was reached as the Metro Board of Directors gave the green light to move into the construction phase of the long-awaited North Hollywood to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. This significant approval marks a crucial step forward in enhancing public transportation in the region. All opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the views of Los Angeles Bicycle Attorney (LABA). For more details, click on the provided ad.

Unveiling the Progress of Metro's BRT Project

Project Overview

The 19-mile, 22-station BRT project is set to connect the Metro A Line Memorial Park Station in Pasadena to the Metro B and G Line North Hollywood Station. It will serve multiple cities and neighborhoods, including Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, Eagle Rock, and North Hollywood. This extensive network is designed to provide efficient and convenient transportation options for commuters.This project was funded in 2016 through Metro's Measure M sales tax, which allocated $266 million with an anticipated groundbreaking between 2020 and 2023 and an opening by 2022-2025. In 2018, an additional $50 million in state transit capital grant funds was secured.The planning process, however, was not without its challenges. Some Eagle Rock residents raised concerns and even filed a lawsuit against the proposed Colorado Boulevard bus lanes. Despite this, in 2022, Metro approved a comprehensive design that was largely based on a context-sensitive pro-transit community design. Later, some Burbank residents also protested against the bus lanes in their area.

Current Status and Future Plans

As of July 2024, the NoHo-Pasadena BRT project is making steady progress. Since 2022, Metro has awarded two smaller contracts for project management and architecture/engineering. While construction costs have been on the rise, surpassing sales tax revenue, delays could have a significant impact. If construction doesn't start soon, the project might not open until after the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.Today's approval of $135 million will take the project through the next two years. It brings on board the BRT project Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) to initiate early work, primarily focused on utility investigation and relocation. If this preconstruction and final design phase proceeds as planned, the project will ramp up into full construction by 2027. This will bring the much-anticipated BRT service closer to reality, providing a much-needed boost to the local transportation system.