LOS ANGELES - Metro released the details of a proposed measure for the November 2016 ballot that aims to raise as much as $120 billion for new highway and transit projects in LA County. The spending plan includes improvements to existing infrastructure and programs to facilitate active transportation, including bicycling and walking paths to be built over the next four decades. According to Metro, the potential ballot measure would ask voters to increase the countywide sales tax by a half-cent for 40 years and to continue an existing tax (Measure R) for an extra 18 years, meaning both would potentially run through 2057.
Metro Board Director Krekorian, who has pushed for major improvements in the San Fernando Valley, including upgrades to the Orange Line, new bus routes and increased efficiency throughout the system, called the plan a "golden opportunity to transform transportation for the Valley."
"The San Fernando Valley has waited far too long for its fair share of transportation investment, and now we are on track to getting it," said Krekorian. "Metro's staff proposal shows that the past two years of hard work by Valley leaders, community advocates and business groups in preparation for a new transit ballot measure is paying off. Because we have always insisted that any measure must include the Valley's top transit priorities, all of these projects are on the list to get funded and built quickly. This proposal gives the Valley a golden opportunity to transform its transportation network and relieve congestion, and we should seize it.
"As these recommendations move forward, I will continue to fight for these priorities and also push for more investment and additional projects to better connect all parts of the Valley."
Metro invites the public to give input on the proposal by emailing [email protected]. For more information and to read the full plan, visit theplan.metro.net.