At the beginning of February, Congress approved $94.3 million in funding for the 2028 Olympic & Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. The money will go toward mobility infrastructure for the Games Enhanced Transit System (GETS), a transit plan by L.A. Metro designed especially for the Games.
L.A. Metro is 32% of the way through their ambitious “Twenty-Eight by ’28” initiative, which aims to complete 28 transit infrastructure projects before the Olympics kick off.
Here’s a closer look…
Congress approves $94.3M for L.A. Metro
On February 3rd, Congress approved a bipartisan law allocating $94.3 million in mobility-related funding for extensive Olympic & Paralympic Games transit infrastructure.
The sum is dedicated to L.A. Metro’s Games Enhanced Transit System (GETS), a temporary transit network designed to move spectators and workforce personnel around the Games venues during 105 days of operation. It will employ 2,700 borrowed buses, 15 new staging depots, and 25 park-and-ride sites.
The newly awarded $94.3M will go toward GETS service planning, leasing costs for land, design for temporary bus facilities, and enhancements to station experiences.
Funding will also support the design and engineering needed for improvements to key stations, mobility, and light rail, as well as pedestrian enhancements for venue areas. It will cover design for the Games Route Network, which creates dedicated roads and lanes specifically for LA28 “Games Family” vehicles.
“The 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games are a time for America to shine on the world stage – and we know that transportation will be a key part of the visitor experience,” said L.A. Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins in a press release. “We appreciate this bipartisan support from Congress and this Administration, and we look forward to continuing to work with them to provide the needed resources so everyone coming for America’s Games can have a gold medal experience in 2028.”
On top of the $94.3M for LA28, funding bill also allocated about $9.1 million for World Cup 26 transportation assistance, and additional transit funding for projects around the country.
The ‘most ambitious transportation infrastructure program in the United States’
GETS is part of L.A. Metro’s “Twenty-Eight by ’28” initiative, which has selected 28 key public infrastructure projects that they aim to complete before the Olympic Games begin on July 14th, 2028.
According to the website, Metro has completed 9 of the 28 projects, including the Gold Line Foothill Extension to Pomona and the LAX/Metro Transit Center (People Mover still pending).
Some projects pending completion include the electrification of the J Line bus fleet, the highly anticipated D Line extension to Westwood (of which Phase 1 should open within the month), and the addition of I-105 ExpressLanes.
14 of the pending projects list target completion dates in 2027, so we’re likely to see things ramp up even more next year.
🌐 Learn more: Los Angeles Metro