L.A. granted $210M in federal funds for traffic, transit

Los Angeles will receive $210 million in federal funds to help cut highway traffic jams and provide better bus transit services in Los Angeles.

This is the largest congestion grant the Department has awarded to any city to date, according to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters.

The funding will allow local leaders to move forward with a plan to convert existing HOV lanes to High-Occupancy Toll lanes and implement congestion pricing to improve southern California’s traffic, air quality, and quality of life.

City partners will pay for state-of-the-art tolling technology to allow drivers to pay a fee for access to less-congested lanes and sophisticated sensors that will monitor the region’s freeways and adjust fares for the lanes based on traffic levels.

The money will finance new bus service and park-and-ride facility improvements. “HOT lanes benefit commuters whether they are taking transit or driving. Transit riders benefit from both quicker commutes and increased transit investments from pricing revenues,” Secretary Peters said.

The Los Angeles investment is a part of the Department’s comprehensive initiative to address congestion throughout the nation’s transportation system. In addition to Los Angeles, the Department has entered into partnerships with Chicago, Miami, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Seattle.

A copy of the Memorandum of Understanding is available at: http://www.dot.gov/affairs/Agreement.htm