The Metro ExpressLanes project is a transport project in

Los Angeles County, California Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the List of the most populous counties in the United States, most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, ...

that debuted in 2012 to "improve traffic flow and provide enhanced travel options on

I-10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally p ...

and I-110 in Los Angeles County". It includes a range of infrastructure developments on the Harbor Transitway and the El Monte Busway. The existing high-occupancy lanes on these transitways were converted to high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes. Associated works included a major upgrade to El Monte bus station, expansion of Metrolink's Pomona Station, the creation of a new transit station at

Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...

and increased

park and ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system ( ...

capacity and bike lockers at many transit stations. In addition, new vanpool vehicles and buses will be purchased. The project was delivered by the

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), commonly branded as Metro, LA Metro, and L.A. Metro, is the state agency that plans, operates, and coordinates funding for most of the transportation system in Los Angele ...

, the

California Department of Transportation The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is an executive department of the U.S. state of California. The department is part of the cabinet-level California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA). Caltrans is headquartered in Sacram ...

, and others. The budget was $290 million and construction, which began in 2011, was completed in February 2013. Some transit improvements for the Metro Silver Line are still being worked on.

Project elements

The Metro ExpressLanes project includes: * Conversion of the El Monte Busway on

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally p ...

between

Interstate 605 Interstate 605 (abbreviated I-605, officially known as the San Gabriel River Freeway) is a major north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway in the Greater Los Angeles urban area of Southern California. It runs from I-405 and State Route ...

and Alameda Street (near Union Station) in Downtown Los Angeles to

high-occupancy toll lane A high-occupancy toll lane (or HOT lane) is a type of traffic lane or roadway that is available to high-occupancy vehicles and other exempt vehicles without charge; other vehicles are required to pay a variable fee that is adjusted in response ...

s * Conversion of the Harbor Transitway on Interstate 110 between Harbor Gateway Transit Center and Adams Blvd in Downtown Los Angeles to high occupancy toll lanes * Implementation of the Metro Silver Line ** Enhanced

bus priority Bus priority or transit signal priority (TSP) is a name for various techniques to improve service and reduce delay for mass transit vehicles at intersections (or junctions) controlled by traffic signals. TSP techniques are most commonly associat ...

system at traffic signals in

Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is a ...

** 59 new alternative fuel buses ** Operating subsidy during a demonstration period * Renovation and expansion of

El Monte Station El Monte Station is a large regional bus station in the city of El Monte, California, United States, adjacent to Interstate 10, serving the Metro J Line, Foothill Transit, Greyhound Lines, and El Monte Transit. It is the Metro J Line's easter ...

, a large regional bus station * A new busway station on the El Monte Busway for Union Station * Upgrades to Harbor Transitway Park & Ride lots * Expansion of Metrolink's Pomona–North station * More bicycle lockers at the

Harbor Gateway Transit Center Harbor Gateway Transit Center, formerly Artesia Transit Center, is a large bus station at the southern end of the Harbor Transitway that serves as a transport hub (known locally as a transit center) for the South Bay region of Los Angeles Count ...

* New Bus Maintenance Facility in Downtown Los Angeles * 100 New Metro Vanpools * Implment Express Park in Downtown Los Angeles, an intelligent parking system allowing demand-based pricing and real-time space availability information

Gallery

File:Slauson & 1-110 Metro Silver Line Station- Picture 2.JPG, Southbound platform with bollards installed. They were installed early September 2012. File:Slauson & 1-110 Metro Silver Line Station- Picture 1.JPG, Eastbound Metro Local line 108 & Metro Limited line: 358 bus stop at Slauson Silver Line Station. The stop was added as part of the Metro Express Lanes Project. A westbound stop was not constructed. File:Slauson & 1-110 Metro Silver Line Station- Picture 4.JPG, Station security cameras and digital message signs for the Metro Silver Line currently being installed at the station. This is part of the Metro Express Lanes Project. File:Artesia Transit Center & Metro Silver Line- Picture 3.JPG, Landscaping improvements were made at the Harbor Gateway Transit Center. File:Switchable FasTrak transponder.jpg, The new "switchable" FasTrak transponder used in the Metro ExpressLanes; the driver indicates the number of occupants in the vehicle using the switch, which the toll system detects and automatically computes the toll (or lack of a toll) for. File:Union Station (El Monte Busway & Alameda) Metro Silver Line Stop 2.JPG, Union Station (El Monte Busway & Alameda) Metro Silver Line Stop. As part of the Metro express Lanes projects, this current bus stop will be moved next to the Patsouras Transit Plaza and the Silver Line will have a new station stop. The new busway station is being planned to be completed by 2015.

References

External links

*{{official website
Los Angeles County Congestion Reduction Demonstration National Evaluation Plan
— (U.S. Department of Transportation)

Project A project is any undertaking, carried out individually or collaboratively and possibly involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a particular goal. An alternative view sees a project managerially as a sequence of even ...

Bus rapid transit in California