The controversial “Subway to the Sea,” a proposed subway extension in Los Angeles that would run from mid-Wilshire to Westwood, received $1.25 billion in federal money on Wednesday, bringing the total federal funding of the project to $2.1 billion, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. Congress previously approved an $856 million federal loan for the project two years ago.
The money will reportedly go towards extending the Purple Line subway, which runs from Union Station to Wilshire, and from Western Avenue to Westwood.
The subway will be built in three phases, according to Metro spokesman Dave Sotero; the first phase, an extension to La Cienega, will be completed in 2023, while the second Century City phase will be finished in 2026. The third and final segment, the extension to Westwood, won’t be completed until about 20 years from now, in 2035.
In a Los Angeles Daily News report, several Los Angeles officials celebrated the subway extension.
“In Los Angeles, everything revolves around traffic,” L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky told the Daily News. “Everything we do is determined by how long it will take to get from Point A to Point B. And if it takes too long, we don’t bother going.”
“As Angelenos, we’re all in the same boat,” Sen Dianne Feinstein added in the report.
Some are not as thrilled with the proposed extension. Tthe Beverly Hills Unified School District has reportedly sued to try to stop the project, upset that portions of the train would be built under Beverly Hills High School.
Sheila Kuehl, a candidate running for Yaroslavsky’s County Supervisor post, told the Los Angeles Times last week that while she opposes the train’s route under the high school, ultimately, she would not obstruct the project if elected. Apparently, the issue is important enough that the Miracle Mile Democratic Club will not endorse any candidate for supervisor “who would work to oppose the project.”