Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Eastside Extension Light Rail Transit Project: Cultural Influence in Station Site Selection for the Boyle Heights–Mariachi Plaza Station

The $898.8 million Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension Light Rail Project is a 6-mi light rail line running mostly at grade from Union Station in downtown Los Angeles to East Los Angeles, California. It will connect directly with the Pasadena Metro Gold Line at Union Station and will serve the ethnically diverse and culturally rich communities along the route, including the Little Tokyo–Arts District, Boyle Heights, and East Los Angeles. There are six at-grade stations and two subway stations, where the at-grade alignment proceeds underground beneath Boyle Heights for 1.7 mi of tunnel alignment. The 6-mi Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension Light Rail has an estimated one-way trip time of approximately 20 min from Union Station to Atlantic Station and vice versa. Construction began in July 2004 and revenue operations are scheduled for the end of 2009. This paper discusses the design and engineering aspects of this light rail extension project.