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The city of Inglewood, Calif., named Elevate Inglewood Partners (EIP), a public-private partnership (PP3) consortium, as the best value proposer for its approximately $2 billion Inglewood Transit Connector (ITC) project.
The consortium is comprised of Los Angeles-based Tutor Perini Corp., which will act as the transit project's prime contractor, as well as Plenary Americas US Holdings Inc., an equity member; Parsons Corp., the lead designer; Woojin Industrial System Co. Ltd., the operator and supplier of the automated transit system; and Alternate Concepts Inc., ITC's lead operations and maintenance contractor.
Mass Transit reported that the future ITC is designed to be a 1.6-mi.-long automated people mover that connects the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (L.A. Metro) K Line and the city of Inglewood's dynamic new employment and destination centers.
Among the popular venues within Inglewood that will benefit from a completed ITC is the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment District, which includes the Kia Forum, SoFi Stadium (home to the NFL's Rams and Chargers), YouTube Theater and the Intuit Dome, in addition to housing and commercial destinations in the surrounding area.
The new transit connection will reduce traffic congestion on both event and non-event days in the district, promote transit as a primary mode of travel and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Set to be a completely elevated, fixed-guideway transit system with three new transit stations along its route, the ITC, according to Inglewood officials, will serve as a first/last mile solution, filling in the service gaps between the city and downtown station left by the LA Metro K Line light-rail service.
"The announcement of the selection of a team to develop and operate the ITC is another key milestone in the process to make this transformative investment in our city a reality," said Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts.
Other critical steps in bringing the transit project forward included the commitment from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in December 2023 to allocate $1 billion to the ITC project once it completes further procedural steps, and the inclusion in President Biden's budget last March of a recommendation to make the first payment of $200 million toward the federal contribution.
The approval of the $1 billion funding reservation for ITC was the culmination of an evaluation process conducted by the FTA that measures the community benefits of the project, including congestion reduction, air quality improvements and economic development potential. The federal agency also evaluates the cost-effectiveness of the project in providing those benefits.
ITC Joint Powers Authority to Supervise Project
Inglewood municipal leaders partnered with L.A. Metro and the county of Los Angeles to establish the ITC Joint Powers Authority, which will oversee the design, construction, operations and maintenance of the people mover, following the contract's award.
According to the most recent city of Inglewood timeline, the ITC project is expected to start the design and construction phase in the first quarter of 2025.
Thus far, according to Inglewood officials, the project has secured approximately $1.9 billion in local, state and federal funds.
In preparation for the effort, all environmental approvals have been secured and a Community Workforce Agreement with the L.A./OC Building Trades Council has been executed to ensure that the project meets aggressive local hiring requirements and utilizes union labor; 17,000 jobs are anticipated to be created by the ITC's construction and development.
"Across the region, we are working to prepare to host major world events in the coming years like the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games," noted Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. "I continue to support this vital project moving forward to provide major benefits to our region by improving transportation and creating good-paying jobs.
"I applaud [Inglewood] Mayor Jim Butts for his leadership these last few years in securing federal, state and local funding to expand our transit system in our region."
EIP and the city of Inglewood are holding discussions and negotiations regarding the project's final pricing and contractual terms, with a proposed agreement anticipated to be considered by the city council in the fall.
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