Metro Connector in DTLA Receives $669 million Federal Grant

Mayor Garcetti and Sen. Dianne Feinstein were onhand Thursday as Metro and Federal Transit Administration officials signed agreements to fund a light rail connection through downtown Los Angeles.

The funding agreements - a $669 million federal grant and a $160 million federally backed loan - cover the majority of the project's $1.36 billion budget.

The connection line, slated to be completed in 2020, will unite the Gold Line with the Blue and Expo lines at the 7th/Metro Station.

The 1.9 mile connection will eliminate the need to transfer trains in order to pass through downtown.

The connection line is the first Metro project to be funded with a federal New Starts grant since the Gold Line.

Construction on the connection will begin later this year after Metro officials choose a contractor to execute the project.