On July 12, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District (USACE) announced that federal interest continues to exist in the Los Angeles County Drainage Area (LACDA) Project. As a result, a disposition could not be recommended, according to a report of findings from a four-year study. Such a study gives the Corps the authority to evaluate a project that is no longer serving its purpose.

This study was aimed at determining whether continued operation and ownership of the LACDA by USACE is in the federal interest. The study, which ended in May, determined the LACDA Project does indeed continue to meet its authorized purpose and provides significant, effective flood-risk management for the Greater Los Angeles area, along with significant economic and public benefits.

The study was conducted under Section 216 of the Flood Control Act of 1970.

According to the report, the LACDA project’s various features work together as an inseparable, interconnected system to provide flood-risk reduction and management benefits to the Greater Los Angeles area. As such, deauthorization of individual LACDA features would impact the ability of USACE to efficiently address emergencies and natural disasters as well as during routine water management operations.

“The strong relationships we’ve built over the years with our local and state partners are integral to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ mission in the Los Angeles District area of operations,” Col. Andrew Baker, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District commander, said in a statement. “Our teamwork with the LA County Dept. of Public Works is one of the biggest factors in our success as we continue to provide flood-risk management to ensure the safety of the millions of people who reside here.”

FTA Awards $77.5M to Metro For Clean Transit

The Federal Transit Administration announced July 11 an award to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) of a $77.5-million FY24 Low or No Emission grant.

This award marks the second largest of 117 projects that the FTA selected for funding from 477 eligible applications. These funds will help the agency purchase dozens of battery electric buses, install new chargers and expand workforce development training at its West Hollywood bus division.

New electric buses are expected to run on multiple lines throughout Los Angeles County and provide direct access to Metro rail lines.

“Just as LA Metro was on the forefront in ushering in the cleanest bus fleet in the nation years ago, so we are once again leading the way with zero-emission buses,” Los Angeles County Supervisor and Metro Board Chair Janice Hahn said in a statement. “This federal funding will help us get one step closer to that zero-emission future that we need here in LA County.”

Metro released a solicitation in April for the purchase of 260 battery electric buses (BEB) and 20 hydrogen fuel cell electric buses (FCEB). The solicitation includes additional purchase options that will allow for the potential procurement of up to 1,980 BEB and FCEBs.

The federal funding provided for Metro’s Zero-Emission Bus and Charging Infrastructure Project was made possible through the U.S. Dept. of Transportation’s Low or No Emission Grant Program. This grant will enable Metro to acquire the electric buses and begin installation of chargers at the West Hollywood bus yard.

$2B in California Transit Infrastructure Spending To Move Forward

The California Transportation Commission (CTC) has approved more than $2 billion to improve and maintain the massive transportation system that supports the world’s fifth-largest economy. This funding, approved on June 28, will support the next generation of transportation projects, such as bridge maintenance, rail system upgrades and enhanced railroad safety features.

According to the CTC, the latest allocations include more than $483 million from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA) and approximately $443 million from Senate Bill 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017.

Allocations include $103 million for the North Coast Corridor Rail project in San Diego County, $17.8 million to improve Highway 99 and State Route 68 in Tulare County and $10 million to provide Santa Barbara residents with electric buses and chargers. Some projects will enhance safety at railroad crossings, such as a $5.9-million effort that will improve signaling, signage and gates at two commuter rail crossings in the city of Montebello.

Work Begins on Seattle’s Maritime Innovation Center

Construction broke ground on the long-anticipated Maritime Innovation Center at the Port of Seattle’s Fishermen’s Terminal in May.
Rendering courtesy of Miller Hull Partnership

The Port of Seattle broke ground in late May on the renovation and modernization of the historic Ship Supply Building at Fishermen’s Terminal. The structure will eventually become a Maritime Innovation Center (MInC) to serve a variety of maritime industry needs.

As a Living Building Challenge-certified facility, the MInC will generate its own energy, capture its own water and process its own waste. The MInC will also feature net-positive energy, salvaged materials, reduced carbon emissions, rainwater capture and stormwater treatment.

This adaptive reuse project will maintain and respect the form and mass of a 1918 building fronting the working waterfront. Most of the building and its century-old heavy timber structure will be salvaged and reused.

The port is partnering with design firm Miller Hull on the project. Miller Hull’s design will enhance the original building’s iconic pitched roof by using locally sourced and industrially appropriate materials.

To prepare for the next century of commercial fishing and maritime industrial activity at the terminal, the port is committing more than $100 million in new investments as part of a long-term strategic redevelopment plan to maintain docks for commercial fishers, enhance uplands facilities and accent Fishermen’s Terminal’s history and legacy.

The improvements and investments will ensure that the facility will continue to sustain the maritime industry and Seattle’s working waterfront. The maritime industry and the jobs it creates help anchor the regional economy, with this facility supporting the next century of commercial fishing and maritime industrial activity at one of Seattle’s most historic working waterfront properties.

“Today’s groundbreaking is a celebration of the port’s substantial commitment to support innovation as a way to foster the maritime industry’s ability to sustain our region’s blue economy,” said Port of Seattle Commissioner Fred Felleman in a statement. “The transformation of the port’s oldest asset into one that can meet the Living Building Challenge symbolizes the port’s recognition of the maritime industry’s significance to our region’s history and future.”