More on that Urbanize article:
Metro refines its 2028 Olympics wish list
Bus-only lanes, first/last mile plans, mobility hubs, and a temporary fix for that pesky Washington/Flower intersection
Steven Sharp
Urbanize Los Angeles
June 13, 2023
Last year, Metro staff set out a list of 209 projects which could prove advantageous when the Olympic games return to Los Angeles in Summer 2028. With that once far-off deadline growing closer each day, transportation officials are have whittled that wish list down to a more manageable number, seeking Federal funding for 15 projects and programs which would help manage the influx of tourists associated with the games.
In a pending report to the Metro Board's 2028 Olympics Committee (h/t @numble), staff members provide details regarding the project list for the 2028 Mobility Concept Plan, which was submitted to the U.S. Department of Transportation for consideration in December 2022. It includes:
To move Angelenos and a temporary influx of visitors during the course of the games, Metro is looking to potentially double its bus fleet to meet demand (the supplemental bus system). The agency has reached out to other transit agencies across the country in the hopes of borrowing vehicles - with the bulk of responses coming from within California. According to the staff report, up to 850 buses and 450 staff may be temporarily made available to Metro for use during the games.
Those extra buses would have greater ease of movement throughout the region through the implementation of a Games Routes Network, which would link event venues with the Athletes Village and Media Village. Metro expects to make uses of existing and planned ExpressLanes and bus-only corridors, largely based on the agency's NextGen Tier 1 network, the BRT Vision and Principles Study, and routes which serve venues. Some bus-only lanes along arterial roads could be retained after the games conclude, serving as a physical legacy to the 2028 Olympics.
An enhanced bus network would be complemented by a series of temporary and permanent mobility hubs, including those located at event venues and Metro rail and bus rapid transit stations, as well as smaller neighborhood hubs with micro-mobility options. Those micro-mobility options would tie into proposed first/last mile connections to the venues, which will allow visitors to walk or bike to the games from transit hubs.
Some of the key hubs near major event venues - including 7th Street/Metro Center Station, Pico Station, and Union Station - are also expected to receiving permanent and temporary enhancements to handle crowds. That could include temporary platforms and overcrossings, portable ramps, or more robust wayfinding and signs. Several of those elements echo a decade-old plan from AEG for augmenting the at-grade Pico Station to handle crowds anticipated in the never-built Farmers Field project.
Metro is also expected to use the games as an opportunity to address some of the sluggish street running operations on the A and E Lines, particularly as the new Regional Connector subway begins serving passengers. Most notably, traffic signal improvements have been considered to address the troubling Washington Wye, where the A and E Lines now meet at the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Flower Street in Downtown. A permanent fix involving grade separation for the junction has also been proposed, but could not likely be completed prior to the games.
Not to be forgotten, though not addressed at length in the staff report, include Inglewood's planned automated people mover system, which would connect the K Line to events at Sofi Stadium, and the initial phase of Metrolink's SCORE program, which would allow for faster and more frequent service on the 500-mile regional rail network.
Moving forward, Metro expects the 15 projects highlighted in the mobility concept plan to move forward under the following schedules:
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