Results tagged “transportation”

While there are some clearing conditions now in the skies above Los Angeles, a night and morning of heavy rains has caused serious damage to homes and property as well as created hazardous road conditions all over the area. Road closures include the 2 Freeway which is closes from 2 mi east of the 210 in La Cañada-Flintridge to Islip Saddle (LA Co.); SR 27/Topanga Canyon Blvd closed from SR 1 to Topanga Canyon Road; and the transition road from the SB 110 Freeway to the NB 101 Freeway near downtown LA (due to flooding). Many mountain roads and surface streets are also closed and/or flooded and many accidents have been reported.

To find out current traffic conditions where you are or where you need to be, check one or more of the following frequently-updated websites:
• City of LA Traffic Conditions
• California Dept. of Transportation Roads (Search by Route #)
• California Dept. of Transportation (Updated Hourly)

It looks like June is when we'll see the groundbreaking for the MTA Gold Line's Foothill Extension, which will take the tracks from its current terminus in Pasadena to the Azusa/Glendora border, reports the Pasadena Star-News. more ›

The Obama Administration is set to award California with $2.35 billion in federal passenger rail stimulus funds today, with most all going towards high speed rail. The money is earmarked for four HSR segments--locally to the Los Angeles to Anaheim alignment--and for upgrades to the Pacific Surfliner route between San Diego and San Luis Obispo. more ›

For an already delayed project, this can't be good. The Los Angeles Police Commission has revoked a permit allowing the Expo Line Construction Authority to work on the rail line 24 hours a day, seven days a week, citing noise that is impacting neighborhood's quality of life. Via the LA Times: "Richard Thorpe, chief executive of the Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority, the organization tasked with building the line, said the 24-hour permit was important to speed up the project. If the construction authority doesn’t have such a permit, Thorpe said, contractors would be forced to shut down some streets and intersections during the day when there is generally heavy traffic." more ›

Airport security is a hot-button topic today, and with LAX serving as a major international hub how we keep travelers safe is getting much attention. While local officials like Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa are lauding the facility for its level of security, as recently as last month several "LAX security workers were fired [...] after they were allegedly discovered to have been using drugs," notes LA Daily, following a CBS2 report on the subject. more ›

This Christmas, when a Nigerian man traveling into the US armed himself with explosives on his Detroit-bound Northwest flight, the hair-trigger reaction by airlines and airports and the TSA was to up security measures and to adjust policy for travelers entering the States from abroad. more ›

Transit agency Metrolink has agreed to "pay $39 million to settle nearly all of the lawsuits filed" as a result of the 2005 derailment caused by Juan Manuel Alvarez, according to abc7. "According to an attorney representing the crash victims, all but one of the 186 wrongful death and injury suits against Metrolink has been resolved. A Los Angeles superior court judge has vacated a Jan. 4 trial date and is urging both parties to resolve the remaining suit." more ›

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is moving one of his deputy mayors to Los Angeles World Airports, the department that runs LAX, Ontario and Palmdale airports. One big goal? Bring rail to LAX and Ontario Airport, according to the Daily Breeze. more ›

Increased security measures were put into place shortly after a Nigerian man flying into Detroit from Amsterdam attempted to set off explosives under the guise of a terrorist act earlier this week, according to the LA Times. While air travel within the US remains unchanged for passengers, those traveling into the US from international airports are already facing new procedures and restrictions. more ›

Introduced in 2008, LA's Metro announced earlier this year that the TAP card would replace all paper passes in March. The switch seems to have been fairly efficient and trouble-free for Metro and its ridership, but the transit blog +metro recently wanted to take on just how sturdy the card itself was, since Metro describes the item as a "durable plastic card with an electronic chip inside that you use again and again." more ›

The $1.1 trillion Transportation and Urban Development Appropriations Bill has been signed by President Barack Obama and that means some funds are headed to Southern California. Some of that money includes funding for Metrolink. $1.637 million in Congressionally-directed spending was approved for Metrolink rail safety. More specifically: more ›

$77.6 million from the federal government is sought by Metro and two members of congress to fund preliminary engineering for the westside subway and the regional connector. Both Rep. Diane Watson and Rep. Henry Waxman have written letters in support of Metro obtaining the money, despite a coalition of 14 others who rather see the money go elsewhere. $77.6 million is a drop in the bucket compared to the total costs of these projects, but Metro sees it as a "crucial test," as Metro puts it: "Do the projects meet the [Federal Transit Administration's] requirements for funding? And does the FTA want to find a way to get L.A. County — the nation’s most populous county — into the New Starts program?" their blog asks. more ›

In a move to alleviate a $400 million-plus budget deficit, the Los Angeles City Council earlier this year approved a program allowing 2,400 employees to retire early. However, ERIP (Early Retirement Incentive Program), as it's called around city hall, is going to turn the city into "swiss cheese," according to the city's top Personnel Manager. more ›

Earlier this week Metro announced they would be offering free 24-hour service for New Year's on their Red, Purple, Blue, Green and Gold Lines, leaving out the Orange Line, "the 14-mile-long busway that traverses the San Fernando Valley," notes the Daily News, which the MTA hails as a “train on rubber wheels.” more ›

There’s a Koffeehouse JAM Session/open mic from 6-7 pm tonight at Dakota Lounge, followed by a holiday concert with A Fine Frenzy, Green River Ordinance, Shawn Hlookoff and Sara Haze. Admission is free with a donation at the door of a new, unwrapped toy (valued over $10) for Children's Hospital Los Angeles, or $5 cover. 21+ and get there early. more ›

Earlier this fall, the House of Representatives allocated $4 billion for High Speed Rail in the 2010 transportation bill. Then along came the Senate with a proposal to cut that to $1.2 billion. That changed yesterday. more ›

This morning, officials from various groups, including two L.A. City Councilmembers, will urge Senator Dianne Feinstein to continue her support and leadership of California's high speed rail proposal and $4 billion in funding designated in the 2010 transportation spending bill. more ›

In a move to possibly freak everyone out and accept proposed fare increases, Metrolink next week will consider cuts to over 50 trains. That includes all Orange County weekend service, 10 weekday trains on the Ventura County Line and various other trains. As Metro's Steve Hymon notes, "most of the cuts are aimed at trains that run on weekends, outside rush hour on weekdays or trains that travel in opposite direction of rush hour traffic on weekdays." more ›

A little dispute is happening in Orange County near the L.A. County border. Residents are starting to get sick of the over-and-over-again mentality of once again widening a freeway (two lanes this year, another two in ten years). The problem is along the 405 Freeway between Irvine and the L.A. County border where 300,000 people commute daily. more ›

Today is the long-awaited launch of the Gold Line's Eastside Extension, which links Downtown's historic Union Station via light rail to Little Tokyo, Mariachi Plaza, and heart of East Los Angeles, ending at Atlantic. To celebrate, rides from one end of the Gold Line to the other are free today, and there are four events that include food and music from the communities scheduled to happen at or near stations along the line more ›

Commuter rail service Metrolink is considering a fare increase to be implemented at the start of the new year, reports the Daily News. "The five-county Metrolink agency board is scheduled to meet Friday to decide whether to hike ticket prices for tens of thousands of daily passengers by as much as 6 percent." more ›

In an attempt to attract the thousands of USC students ready to spend money in downtown, AEG is funding a free weekend shuttle between the campus and the entertainment complex. more ›

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa tomorrow is expected to announce his plans in building support for something he calls the "30/10" push to accelerate Measure R transit projects--the voted in half cent sales tax increase--from being completed in 30 years to 10 years. more ›

The Amtrak Surfliner departed San Diego 10:35 a.m. last Saturday -- right on time. But Train 571, a weekend-only train filled with families and weekend adventurers, never made it to its final destination -- Union Station, LA. more ›

In a unanimous vote, the Metro Board approved the Long Range Transportation Plan this afternoon. The document will guide transit planning in Los Angeles County for the next 30 years. One amendment was introduced and ultimately approved as well. Among a number of changes it brought, the most notable is a commitment to try to open the Gold Line Foothill Extension from Pasadena to Azusa before 2017. more ›

It's very common for reporters to cross the line and become communicators for agencies they once reported on and investigated. Today comes the news that Metro is launching their blog (finally!) with two notable names behind it. From the LA Times is Steve Hymon, the paper's former transit reporter. And from the blogLAsphere is Fred Camino, the downtown resident who created the blog MetroRiderLA. It's called The Source and Metro says it "is your window into what's happening at" the agency. "We'll be writing about agency news, funding and policy issues, and how to get the most out of transit and Los Angeles." more ›

This week, the Metro Transportation Library debuted an impressive set of historical maps depicting transit lines and proposals for routes and systems. Among the multiple versions of our current subway system and systems long come and gone is a proposed monorail from 1960, the transit vision for LA in 1974, the map produced based on the Kelker-Deleuw study of 1925 (when the city's first subway was built), and a map from the time when the Red Line was called the Orange Line. more ›

A warning, of sorts, came from a delegation of local members of congress today. Two mainstream media headlines begin to the tell the story. From this morning, the Pasadena Star News: 14 SoCal congressional leaders call for prioritizing Gold Line And this afternoon from the LA Times: Mayor's effort to fast-track Westside subway faces challenge more ›

LAX officials yesterday finalized plans for the fourth FlyAway route that will take passengers to and from Irvine. Beginning November 16th, the one-way 50-mile trip will cost $25 for adults (they won't accept cash, credit or debit only). Each fare allows for two students 8th grade and under to ride for free. Children under five also ride free. more ›

If Metro's regional connector project is built, passengers will be able to commute between Pasadena and Long Beach without transferring from the Gold Line to the Red Line, then the Blue Line. Likewise, those traveling between East LA and Culver City (and maybe someday Santa Monica) will be able to skip a similar transfer process. That means faster travel times and more accessibility car-free. more ›