Last day to register for transportation Summit with elected officials and business leaders

Nearly 800 transportation practitioners and elected officials will convene on Friday, Oct. 29 at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim to discuss the leading transportation issues facing our region. With a program of high-caliber speakers on the agenda, Summit participants will come away with a clear call to action – investment in transportation can’t wait.

“The transportation industry is really the antidote to our recession. If transportation leads, the economy will follow,” said Mobility 21 Executive Director Marnie O’Brien Primmer. “Mobility 21 coalesces around transportation to provide information and education to our elected officials so they will make it a priority next year.”

Registration to the Summit includes:

  • Expanded expo with more than 70 exhibitors
  • Ten breakout sessions
  • Three general sessions
  • Mobility 21 awards ceremony
  • “Twilight” Park Hopper ticket to visit Disneyland Park and Disney’s California Adventure after the conference
  • Hosted self-parking
  • Complimentary shuttle service between Anaheim Metrolink Station and Summit
  • Free bike valet service

SUMMIT SPOTLIGHT:
2010 Summit roudly presented by Skanska

Skanska is a leading international project development and construction company headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden creating sustainable solutions and is a leader in quality, green construction, work safety and business ethics.

Skanska has a large local presence and a long history throughout California. Some of their premier projects involve work on the Prado Dam Embankment and Outlet Works in Corona, the reconstruction of the Pomona Freeway (SR-60) from the SR-57 / SR-60 interchange in Riverside and the BART Warm Springs Extension in Fremont. Reconstruction of the SR-60 is one of the many highways in the growing area east of Los Angeles that were in dire need of widening and increased capacity due to extensive growth and truck traffic.

Skanska is currently pursuing projects in Los Angeles including the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension and the Exposition Light Rail. Skanska has a “five zeros” vision – zero loss-making projects, zero accidents, zero environmental incidents, zero ethical breaches and zero defects.

“We are pleased to join the dynamic Mobility 21 team to help bring transportation solutions to Southern California,” said Eric Taylor, Senior Vice President and General Manager with Skanska USA Civil California. “Skanska looks forward to working with the public and the owners of these dynamic projects in the future.”

Public officials celebrate federal loan for Crenshaw / LAX light rail line

Excerpt from The Source, by Steve Hymon

With these words, U.S. Department of Transportation Under-Secretary Roy Kienitz made it official on Wednesday morning: “On behalf of President Obama, I’m here to present you with a loan of $546 million.”

Sen. Barbara Boxer announced last Friday that the federal loan would help speed the building of the Crenshaw/LAX light rail line, with work beginning as soon as 2011. The project was originally scheduled to be completed by 2018, but the loan will make it possible to complete the project by 2016.

The loan is certainly a big deal, but what makes the federal money more compelling is that it’s now clear that the Obama Administration backs the thrust of the 30/10 Initiative, the Metro policy to seek federal loans and other financing to build 12 Measure R transit projects in the next ten years instead of the next 30.

The loans will be repaid with Measure R tax revenues, which flow into local coffers over a long time. The loans and federal help would make it possible to start work now, rather than wait for the revenues to show up.Read more.

Beach-Style Event Welcomes Opening of I-5 Gateway Project

Excerpt from OCTA CEO’s Weekly Update

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) recently hosted a dedication ceremony in Buena Park to mark the opening of the last freeway project to be completed under the Measure M initiative passed by Orange County voters in 1990.

The Santa Ana Freeway (I-5) Gateway Project is designed to enhance traveling conditions on the two-mile stretch of the Santa Ana Freeway near the Orange / Los Angeles County border. The $335-million project took four years to complete.

“The completion of the I-5 Gateway Project serves as a triumph of the promise we made to voters in Orange County with Measure M since 1990,” OCTA Board Director and Buena Park Mayor Art Brown said. “People can travel along this stretch of the freeway with greater comfort and ease because of the improvements made through our area.” Read more.

Mobility 21 beyond the Summit:
Advocacy and coalition-building continues

While all eyes are focused on the impending Summit, Mobility 21 continued the work of coalition-building and advocacy through participation in several conferences recently. In late September, Mobility 21 Executive Director Marnie O’Brien Primmer and Mobility 21 Chairman, Steve Finnegan of the Automobile Club of Southern California attended a one-day conference hosted by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) dedicated to developing ideas around the ever-present question of how to fund transportation investments at a meaningful level.

Taking place one day after Congress adjourned to spend the remaining month before the election in their districts, the conference showcased several key leaders. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member John Mica, Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell and Rep. Earl Blumenauer each provided very candid comments designed to help participants think more broadly about funding sources for transportation investment.

Primmer, Finnegan and Mobility 21 Board Member and Southern California Association of Governments Executive Director Hasan Ikhrata also attended the annual UCLA Symposium which took place Oct. 17 – 19 in Lake Arrowhead. Celebrating 20 years, this year’s symposium topic, “The Transportation-Land Use-Environment Connection,” brought together academic researchers, practitioners and elected officials to delve deeply into a transportation and land use related theme. Participants engaged in a lively dialogue of issues through structured presentations and small group interactions.

In addition, Mobility 21 Board Member and Riverside County Transportation Commission Executive Director Anne Mayer and Primmer joined California Transportation Commissioner Joe Tavaglione in addressing the Monday Morning Group. The three discussed opportunities and obstacles for transportation investment and made recommendations for policy positions for the pivotal group of Riverside County civic and business leaders.

TRANSPORTATION EVENTS IN THE COMMUNITY

Wednesday, Oct. 27
WTS Inland Empire and Orange County: Appointments Breakfast Workshop
more info | register now

Friday, Oct. 29
Mobility 21: Ninth Annual Southern California Transportation Summit
more info | register now

Monday, Nov. 1
UCI Planning, Policy & Design: The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050
more info | register now

Thursday, Nov. 4
Leonard Transportation Center: Transportation Research Conference
more info | register now

Friday, Nov. 5
Inland Empire Economic Partnership: Annual Energy Summit
more info | register now

Thursday, Nov. 11
WTS Los Angeles: Annual Scholarship and Awards Dinner
more info | register now

Nov. 14-16
Self-Help Counties Coalition: Focus on the Future Conference
more info | register now

Friday, Dec. 3
CMAA Southern California: Breakfast of Champions with OCTA
more info | register now

Thursday, Jan. 20
WTS Inland Empire: Sixth Annual Awards & Scholarship Dinner
more info