LOS ANGELES-The Federal TransitAdministration has granted the Los Angeles CountyMetropolitan Transportation Authority a record of decisionfor the $1.37 billion Regional Connector TransitCorridor. The move certifies that the project has nowsatisfied all federal environmental guidelines and is an importantprerequisite for Metro to begin final design ofthe nearly two-mile underground light rail line downtown. TheMTA is also now able to seek federal funding tohelp build the line.

Regional Connector, partially funded with $160 million inMeasure R sales-tax money approved by voters in2008, is considered one of the region’s most significant transitprojects because it will connect the Metro Gold Line, BlueLine and Expo Line through downtown L.A.,enabling passengers to take a “one-seat ride” from Montclair toLong Beach and from East Los Angeles to Santa Monica, CA.

“The Regional Connector is the vital link connecting thecounty’s regional transportation network by uniting the Gold Line,the Blue Line and the Expo Line—allowing for future one-seat tripsbetween the San Gabriel Valley, Long Beach and the Westside,” saidMichael D. Antonovich, L.A. County Supervisor andMetro board chair, in a prepared statement.