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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Bill Passes for Orange Line Improvements

Safety improvements are coming to the Orange Line busway following adoption Wednesday by the U.S. House of Representatives of a bill containing $500,000 for the project. Bright lights will be embedded in the pavement at 10 intersections where the busway crosses busy streets, and at one mid-block pedestrian crosswalk. “Safety improvements will burnish the busway’s reputation for efficient, economical service,” said Rep. Brad Sherman, who helped get the funding. The Orange Line opened to great fanfare in October and has drawn higher ridership numbers than expected. In May, 22,000 passengers a day boarded buses along the 14-mile route. Sherman’s district includes the San Fernando Valley. The bill also contained $100,000 for a transit center at California State University Northridge to provide a central location for commuters using mass transit to and from the university. The Orange Line was also the recent recipient of two California Transportation Foundation awards for Project of the Year and Transit Project of the Year. The awards show further proof of the success of the new busway, said Los Angeles Country Supervisor and Metro Board Member Zev Yaroslavsky. “We are delighted with the award but we are even more gratified by what it stands for,” Yaroslavsky said. “The people of Los Angeles have an easier way to get where they need to go and an alternative to ridiculously high gas prices. The timing couldn’t be better.”

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