2023 Mobility 21 Summit Will Sell Out!

Sponsorships are selling quickly for the 2023 Mobility 21 Summit on Friday, Sept. 29 at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, Calif. The Summit is the only place where you can mix and mingle with every transportation CEO in Southern California, policy makers and nationally-known transportation experts. Click here to view the sponsorship packages. 

Available Sponsorships:
Titanium – $30,000 (SOLD OUT)
Platinum – $12,000 (4 LEFT)
Gold – $6,500 (18 LEFT)
Copper – $3,500
Bronze – $1,500 (open to registered SBEs, DBEs and non-profits only)

Registration Now Open!
Early bird registration is now open! Join more than 1,000 transportation stakeholders, industry leaders and elected officials at California’s largest one-day transportation event. Hurry, Early Bird registration ends Aug. 11!

Early Bird Registration: $375
Registration after Aug. 11: $495
Student/Military Personnel Registration: $195
Click here to register online!

Reduced Hotel Rate Reservations
Discount hotel rates are available to conference attendees! Click here to reserve your room now. Space is limited and the discount is only available until it’s sold out or Aug. 30.

 

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Mobility 21 Advisory Board Member Spotlight:

Fran Inman
Senior Vice President
Majestic Reality Co.

Fran Inman, Senior Vice President, directs government relations and external affairs activities for Majestic Realty Co., one of the nation’s largest privately held real estate development companies. With a real estate portfolio totaling approximately 84 million square feet of commercial properties, Majestic Realty has offices in Los Angeles; Atlanta; Bethlehem, Dallas, Denver, Fort Worth, Las Vegas, Laredo and Phoenix.

Inman served on the California Transportation Commission from 2010 to 2021 and recently completed a two-year term as Chair and two years as Vice Chair (2016-2020). In 2013, Inman was also appointed as a founding member of the National Freight Advisory Committee and co-chaired the sub-committee on project delivery and operations.

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Mobility 21 Advisory Board Member Spotlight:

Lisa Maurath
Senior Vice President of Business Development
Parsons

Lisa Maurath serves as Senior Vice President of Business Development for the West Region
for Parsons (NYSE: PSN). In this role she is responsible for the continued growth and
development of their Critical Infrastructure sector on the West Coast. This focus includes providing innovative customer solutions in the transportation and water/wastewater markets.

Parsons is a long-time member of the Mobility 21 Advisory Board and Lisa is pleased to continue the partnership with all of the M21 member agencies.

Lisa has more than 30 years of experience in project and program management, business development and operations, project controls, construction management, engineering, and procurement. Prior to joining Parsons in 2018, she worked in leadership positions for several large engineering firms in Southern California and the Midwest.

“Over the course of my career, I’ve had the pleasure of working in literally every sector of traditional transportation: aviation, BRT, highways, express lanes, ports, LRT, HRT, passenger rail, high speed rail, and even aerial gondolas. And I actually started my career in the vertical transportation field, as an elevator engineer! I’m excited that with the evolution of new mobility I can continue to add to my roster of transportation modes.”

Born and raised in the Boston area, Lisa graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. She also holds a certificate in business management from the UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Management.

In addition to serving on the advisory board of Mobility 21, she is on the Dean’s Advisory Board for California State University, Los Angeles College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology; the ACEC-CA State PAC Board; and the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. She is a past president for the Los Angeles chapter of ACEC and also served on the board of directors for the national Women’s Transportation Seminar Foundation. Her current industry organization memberships include CMAA, WTS, APTA, and the Railway Association of Southern California.

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Over the past decade, AECOM has provided planning, engineering and design-build oversight for LA Metro’s newly opened Regional Connector Transit Corridor, which connects three rail lines for a seamless ride through Los Angeles County.

Summit Platinum Sponsor Spotlight:
AECOM

At AECOM, we thrive on innovation to meet the challenges of a changing world. Within the dynamic transportation landscape of Southern California, this means thinking without limits to enhance regional mobility — embracing new ideas for sustainable multimodal solutions, improved public transit and innovative technologies.

AECOM had a primary role in the recent opening of LA Metro’s Regional Connector Transit Corridor, which connects three rail lines for a seamless ride through Los Angeles County. AECOM dedicated over a decade to this project, providing collaborative and innovative approaches to planning, engineering and design-build oversight. AECOM and our partners devised creative solutions to challenges such as complex tunneling, utility relocations, property acquisitions and leases. This transformative project is expected to improve access to destinations throughout the region, increase transit system efficiency, reduce congestion and enhance air quality.

On this and other projects, AECOM brings together people, ideas and expertise, partnering with clients to turn their ambitions into reality. We analyze environmental and social impacts, engage stakeholders, and integrate equity into the planning process. Our teams are driven by a common purpose—to deliver a better world through smart, resilient solutions that address current and future challenges.

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Building the extraordinary

Summit Platinum Sponsor Spotlight:
Bechtel

Bechtel has a proud history in California. Starting with roadways and bridges, Bechtel helped deliver the iconic Bay Bridge in the 1930s. Bechtel’s work with BART dates back to the 1970s when we built the innovative rail network. Today, we remain even more committed to modern infrastructure as a gateway to a prosperous and more sustainable world, supporting smarter, better connected, and vibrant cities.

For 125 years, we have built inspiring projects that have driven progress around the world. But as new challenges and opportunities shape the future, we know that a better world still has to be built. At Bechtel, we live for a challenge.

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Summit Platinum Sponsor Spotlight:
Jacobs

Here in Southern California, Jacobs takes on our client’s most complex transportation projects; while globally, we are solving infrastructure challenges in way not thought of before. Our passion lies in helping our clients in every aspect of mobility.

Our diverse and inclusive workforce brings different capabilities and perspectives to everything we do. The projects we help deliver establish the backbone of productive, economically strong communities as assets essential to commerce, trade, public safety, and quality of life. We thrive on the larger purpose behind what we build -linking communities, creating vibrant and sustainable places, advancing economic and social flexibility and equity, and developing the next generation of professionals that will drive infrastructure development into the future. We are a proud partner of Mobility 21 and its member agencies and will continue to provide solutions for a more connected, sustainable world.

For more information, contact Judy.Johnson@Jacobs.com.

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I-405 during construction 2022. Image credit: Frank Stevenson, OC405.

Summit Platinum Sponsor Spotlight:
Moffat and Nichol

 

California Transportation, a View from Above

For more than 75 years, Moffatt & Nichol has balanced the competing challenges of mobility, economic growth, resiliency, and community-level benefits. The scale and location of these projects are best understood from the air.

Snaking through Southern California, hundreds of thousands of motorists travel the I-405 daily, making it among the nation’s busiest freeways. The I-405 Improvement Project seeks to provide relief, by adding managed lanes, bike lanes, and sidewalks, and by reconfiguring interchanges, all to improve multimodal efficiency. Moffatt & Nichol is the designer of record, in a joint venture, for improvements to a 16-mile section of the $2.16 billion mobility project, from Costa Mesa to the Los Angeles County line.

Alameda Corridor during construction, above and below.

The Alameda Corridor rail project represents true innovation in terms of public policy, using a fast moving and flexible “joint-powers” authority approach to overcome a major transportation capacity challenge confronting the San Pedro Bay ports. The project has allowed the San Pedro ports and the related freight industries to flourish while also protecting the surrounding communities from inappropriate impacts. Moffatt & Nichol, in a joint venture, led the program management of this project from concept to design, commercial reviews, and through construction and ongoing operations.

Gilman Drive Bridge (Image credit: Paul Turang)

The Gilman Drive bridge spans the I-5, safely and elegantly connecting both sides of the University of California, San Diego, campus, allowing transit, bike, pedestrian, and vehicular mobility. Moffatt & Nichol was the prime consultant and engineer-of-record to the University of California at San Diego (UCSD)for the project, which culminated in an innovative semi-tied modern arch bridge that creates a landmark gateway for the university, mirroring the university’s celebrated and iconic campus architecture.

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Metro’s three new downtown Los Angeles stations and the new A and E Lines made their public debut on Friday, June 16, to big crowds of riders enjoying a weekend of free rides.

Free Rides Across the Metro System Opening Weekend to Celebrate the Debut of the New A and E Lines, 3 New Stations and the Opening of the Regional Connector

Metro’s new A and E light rail lines made their debut Friday, June 16, at noon when the Regional Connector and its three new underground stations in downtown Los Angeles open to riders.

The opening will make riding Metro’s system more convenient and will provide you with faster light rail trips to and through downtown L.A.

As many of you know, the Regional Connector is a highly anticipated project that has been under construction for much of the last decade. We know many of you have questions.

What will the new light rail system look like?
The Connector ties together the A, E and L Lines. As a result, those three lines will become two lines:

• The new A Line will run between Azusa and Long Beach. On maps, the A Line will retain the color blue.
• The new E Line will run between East Los Angeles and Santa Monica. On maps, the E Line will use the color gold.
• It will be easy to transfer between the A and E Lines at any of the five DTLA stations they’ll share: Pico, 7th/Metro, Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill (at 2nd and Hope), Historic Broadway (at 2nd and Broadway) and Little Tokyo/Arts District (at 1st and Alameda). Just step off one train and get on the next. No need to walk to a different platform.

How frequent will trains run?

Here’s the new A Line schedule and here’s the new E Line schedule.

The basics: trains on both lines will run every 10 minutes at weekday peak hours, every 12 minutes the rest of the day and during weekend daytime hours and every 20 minutes in early mornings and later in the evenings.

How will this change my commute?

Riders coming from Azusa and East L.A. will no longer have to transfer to the subway at Union Station to reach the heart of DTLA. Say goodbye to that time munch of a transfer — you can stay on the A or E Line and now ride directly into the heart of DTLA or through DTLA.

Conversely, riders coming into DTLA on the current A and E Lines no longer need to transfer to the subway at 7th/Metro to reach many DTLA destinations.

Fewer transfers = more time savings. For some riders, we think they’ll save 20 minutes per ride. That is not insignificant and we think giving time back to riders will make taking transit more appealing and useful.

Of course, the B and D Lines aren’t going anywhere — and many of you will continue to find the subway useful to reach your destinations in DTLA or beyond. You can transfer between the A Line and the B/D Lines at 7th/Metro or Union Station and between the E Line and B/D Lines at 7th/Metro.

Do you have a new system map?

Yes! Here it is:

What about fares and transferring — how will that work?

It’s simple. There’s no need to tap your TAP card on a validator if transferring between the A and E Lines. If transferring between any other line to/from the A and E Lines, please tap your card on the validator.

Remember — you get two hours of free transfers with each fare. We’ll also soon be introducing fare capping to make our fares simpler and save money for those who ride frequently. Please see this Source post for more info.

What’s the Regional Connector look like?

During construction, the twin 1.9-mile tunnels and stations have largely been out of public view. Here’s a sneak peek:

Do the stations include public artworks?

Absolutely and on a grand scale. Our Metro Art team commissioned eight artists to create site-specific, integrated artworks for the three new stations. These artworks, we think, are bold and greatly enhance our stations — making them nicer, more thoughtful urban destinations in their own right.

There are also temporary exhibitions at the Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill and Historic Broadway stations as part of the Metro Art Lightbox Exhibition Program

There’s much more about the artworks on this web page. And here are some previews of what you’ll see when the stations open Friday:

What’s the history of the project?

When the original L Line was being planned back in the 1990s, the idea was for it to begin at 7th/Metro and be a continuation of the A Line. That fell by the wayside due to funding issues and the L Line’s first segment was instead built from Union Station to Pasadena.

The Metro Board of Directors included initial funding for the Connector in the Measure R sales tax ballot measure, which was approved by L.A. County voters in 2008. The project was also made possible by nearly a billion dollars in federal grants and loans, as well as bonds from the state’s high-speed rail project (because the Connector will provide a very useful connection to the bullet train at Union Station).

Fun fact: the Connector was originally envisioned as a street level rail line but was moved underground by popular demand to ensure trains were quick. The project broke ground in Oct. 2014.

Although a shorter project than some of our other recent rail lines, we had to build an entirely new subway under the existing streets and buildings of downtown L.A. A huge part of the work involved moving utilities and shoring up other existing infrastructure — including buildings.

Here are some construction pics:

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OCTA Approves $1.7 Billion Balanced Budget
for FY 2023-24

Budget delivers bus and rail service while making conservative projections to plan for the future

ORANGE – The Orange County Transportation Authority Board of Directors has approved a balanced budget of $1.7 billion for the upcoming fiscal year that begins July 1.

The budget keeps essential transportation improvements moving forward while responsibly planning for a balanced and sustainable transportation future for Orange County.

The approved budget makes significant investments in public transit – totaling approximately 52% of the overall budget – and makes improvements to Orange County’s freeways and streets to keep the county moving safely and efficiently.

Overall, the fiscal year 2023-24 budget represents approximately a $48 million increase over the previous year’s budget. By comparison, last year’s budget rose by nearly 30%, after two years of budget cuts largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The coming year’s budget anticipates a moderate increase in sales tax receipts that help fund transit and other transportation projects through the voter-approved Measure M half-cent sales tax from transportation improvements administered by OCTA.

“I’m proud of the work we’re doing at OCTA to continue delivering a balanced budget that benefits Orange County residents, workers and visitors,” said OCTA Chairman Gene Hernandez, also the mayor of Yorba Linda. “With this funding plan we successfully demonstrate that we remain responsible stewards of taxpayers’ dollars while providing a safe, reliable and sustainable transportation system for all.”

Other themes of next year’s budget include:

• Sustaining the current level of bus operations despite exhausting federal relief funds
• Ongoing investment in zero-emission buses and infrastructure to support the ongoing conversion to a full zero-emission fleet
• The 91 Express Lanes continues to meet its commitments
• Plans to open the 405 Express Lanes in late 2023, along with the overall I-405 Improvement Project completion
• Delivering on the projects and programs promised through Measure M
• Continuing to support Metrolink service at 90% of pre-pandemic service levels
• Advancing planning studies for longer-term solutions to protect the coastal rail line
• Making significant progress toward completion of the OC Streetcar project.

Measure M, also known as OC Go, will continue to fund improvements to freeways and streets throughout Orange County, along with multiple transit and environmental programs.

Major initiatives for the budget include advancing capital improvement projects on freeways, including I-405, I-5 in south county, SR-55, SR-57 and SR-91. The year ahead will also improve local streets and continue serving Orange County’s transit needs, while moving toward a goal of zero-emissions to help improve air quality for the entire community.

The FY 2023-24 budget encompasses all services, projects and programs that are administered by OCTA. Anticipated revenues in the budget are more than $1.3 billion, an increase from the $1.2 billion budgeted last year.

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Riverside County Recommended to Receive $44.5 Million in State Funding for Multimodal Transportation Projects in San Jacinto and Perris Valleys

The Riverside County Transportation Commission’s (RCTC) Mid County Enhancement Program is recommended to receive $44.5 million in State transportation competitive grant funding by staff at the California Transportation Commission (CTC). This project will help address Riverside County’s growing population with greater access to multimodal transportation options, provide safety improvements, help improve air quality, and relieve traffic congestion especially in the San Jacinto, Hemet, Perris, and Moreno Valley areas. The $44.5 million comes from the State’s Solutions for Congested Corridors Program (SCCP), a statewide competitive grant program funded by the Road Repair and Recovery Act of 2017, also known as SB 1.

“Transportation solutions in San Jacinto, Hemet, Perris, and Moreno Valley are long past due. Multimodal solutions that will improve the frequency of Metrolink passenger rail service and allow our communities to safely travel between San Jacinto and Hemet and the rest of western Riverside County will go to construction soon thanks to state funding,” said Commission Chair and Lake Elsinore City Councilmember Robert “Bob” Magee. “I am happy to hear the State is looking at our traffic congestion challenges and helping us address our transportation needs with funding that benefit both transit and roadway improvements,” he said.

The Mid County Connectivity Enhancement Program includes two projects, the Mid County Parkway Construction Package 3 Project, which runs along the Ramona Expressway, will add one lane in both directions for 8.6 miles between Warren Road and one mile east of Rider in the County of Riverside. The project will also include raised median, a bridge over the San Jacinto River, upgraded traffic signals, and a wildlife crossing. The project is currently in the design phase and was environmentally cleared in 2015. The project will bring needed safety improvements, allow a connection to Metrolink service on the western side, and help relieve traffic in this growing area.

The Metrolink Double Track Project will add a second track to the Metrolink 91/Perris Valley Line between the Moreno Valley/March Field Station and the Perris-Downtown Station allowing for greater capacity for future trains.

Together, both projects allow better access to multimodal transportation services such as bus and rail, project safety improvements, relieve traffic congestion, and help improve air quality in the region.

Project improvements include:

• Increased Commuter Rail Service – enabling increased Metrolink service frequency by double tracking stretches of the 91/Perris Valley Line along the 215 corridor in Perris and Moreno Valley.
• Improved Safety – reducing the high rate of collisions along dangerous stretches of Ramona Expressway by implementing safety improvements.
• Bolstered Access to Transit Service – strengthening arterial connections so San Jacinto and Hemet Valley residents may better access the Metrolink 91/Perris Valley Line and other transit services.

This grant award will support other RCTC improvement projects including improvements already underway along the Perris Valley Line corridor. In October 2022, RCTC in partnership with Metrolink began construction of the $33 million Moreno Valley/March Field Improvements Project. The SCCP is a highly sought-after statewide competitive grant program that makes available approximately $250 million annually to projects that provide traffic relief while also increasing multimodal transit connectivity, enhancing safety and security, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and increasing access to jobs for the community. Furthermore, the program values projects that protect wildlife connectivity and habitats.

The CTC will formally consider the adoption of RCTC’s grant award recommendation and others at its June 28-29 meeting in Suisun City, CA.

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Julie Tumamait-Stenslie, a local Chumash Elder, provided a Land Acknowledgement blessing during the opening of the World Oceans Day: Sustaining the Seas Summit.

Port of Hueneme Celebrates World Oceans Day by
Raising Awareness with ‘Sustaining the Seas Summit’

In celebration of World Oceans Day, the Port of Hueneme held a “Sustaining the Seas Summit” on Thursday, June 8 at the Channel Islands Maritime Museum in Oxnard. The event was an opportunity for the Port of Hueneme, maritime industry companies, environmentalists, and community organizations to gather to discuss partnerships focused on the sustainability of the world’s oceans.

“We are the only planet that has an ocean, and we must sustain it for generations to come,” said Jess Herrera, President of the Oxnard Harbor Commission. “The Port of Hueneme is committed to a clean and sustainable environment and ocean. That is why we are here today to learn more from leaders on efforts concerning ocean-based technology, advocacy, and management. Understanding the status and the change in our oceans is a complex issue.”

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Pedestrians, Cyclists Enjoy Views from Long Beach International Gateway Bridge

Long Beach Celebrates Innovative New Recreation Pathway

Hundreds of cyclists and walkers gathered last month to celebrate the opening of the new Mark Bixby Memorial Bicycle-Pedestrian Path and Ocean Boulevard Connector, long-awaited additions to the landmark Long Beach International Gateway Bridge at the Port of Long Beach that offer a unique recreational experience while also honoring the memory of a prominent cycling advocate.

Federal, state, local and Port officials joined Bixby family members on May 20 to lead a grand opening ceremony at the Long Beach Civic Center Plaza, followed by a bicycle procession to the new paths and a ribbon cutting and inaugural crossing of the two connected bike-walk paths.

“Today, we celebrate the opening of the Mark Bixby Memorial Bicycle-Pedestrian Path and Ocean Boulevard Connector, a testament to our commitment to providing recreational opportunities and a healthy lifestyle for all,” said Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson. “This path not only honors the memory of Mark Bixby, a remarkable advocate for cycling and dedicated community servant, but also fulfills the community’s long-standing desire for bicycle and pedestrian access to the Port of Long Beach.”

“The community now has a safe and convenient way to access amazing views of the Port and the surrounding area while engaging in a healthy lifestyle,” said Long Beach Harbor Commission President Sharon L. Weissman. “We take pride in being one of the nation’s most pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly cities and hope this pathway will strengthen the community’s connection to the Port.”

“Long Beach is synonymous with bicycling,” said Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero. “We are proud to provide a space that everyone can enjoy and that showcases the Port’s infrastructure, environmental achievements and our role as a major economic engine for the community.”

At its crest, the Bixby Path reaches a height of 205 feet above the water. The pathway is equipped with three overlooks, each with informational signage and benches. The Ocean Boulevard Connector includes a viewing area with a timeline of the Port and other architectural features.

The Mark Bixby Memorial Bicycle-Pedestrian Path and the Ocean Boulevard Connector are accessible from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Cyclists and walkers will start from the southwest corner of Ocean Boulevard and Golden Shore and proceed west on the Ocean Boulevard Connector and then the Bixby Path. Just after the Bixby Path’s third overlook, everyone will turn around and head back over the bridge to downtown Long Beach, as there is not yet a bike path to connect to on Terminal Island.

The Mark Bixby Memorial Bicycle-Pedestrian Path is named after one of Long Beach’s leading bicycle advocates. Bixby spearheaded the grassroots effort to have a bike path included in the design of the new bridge, which opened to vehicles in October 2020. Bixby and four others were killed in an airplane crash on March 16, 2011.

The Bixby Path was constructed as part of the $1.57 billion project to build the Long Beach International Gateway Bridge to replace the Gerald Desmond Bridge, which opened in 1968, long before the local ports complex became one of the busiest in the world. The new bridge was built with funding from the Port of Long Beach, California Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation and Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The $17.5 million Ocean Boulevard Connector project was completed by the Port with $4 million in funding through the California Transportation Commission’s 2015 Active Transportation Program, along with $3.1 million from L.A. County Metro’s 2015 Call for Projects program.

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SCAG’S Go Human Program Awards $360,000 to 11 Projects

The Southern California Association of Government’s (SCAG) Go Human program has conditionally awarded funding to 11 community organizations for local projects that leverage new or existing community gathering and resource sites to implement traffic safety and community engagement strategies. Go Human received 37 applications from across the SCAG region and awarded $360,000 in Community Hubs Grant Program funds.

SCAG seeks to facilitate opportunities for equity-centered strategies to meet local and regional safety goals. The Go Human Community Hubs Grant Program aims to support street-level community resiliency and increase the safety of people most harmed by traffic injuries and fatalities.

The awardees from across Southern California will implement a wide variety of safety projects this summer. Click here to learn more about the awardees and their projects.