The city of Inglewood, Calif., has named Elevate Inglewood Partners (EIP), a public-private partnership consortium, as the best value proposer for its Inglewood Transit Connector (ITC) project.
The EIP is comprised of Plenary Americas US Holdings, Inc. (equity member), Tutor Perini Corporation (lead contractor), Parsons Corporation (lead designer), Woojin Industrial System Co., Ltd. (automated transit system operator and supplier) and Alternate Concepts, Inc. (lead operations and maintenance contractor).
The ITC Project includes design, construction, financing, operation and maintenance of a 1.6-mile automated people mover that will connect the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (L.A. Metro) K Line and the city of Inglewood’s new major employment and destination centers, including the Kia Forum, Sofi Stadium, YouTube Theater, the Intuit Dome, as well as housing and commercial destinations in the surrounding area.
“The announcement of the selection of a team to develop and operate the ITC is another key milestone in the process to make this transformative investment in our city a reality,” said Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts.
Previous milestones included the commitment from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in December 2023 to allocate $1 billion to the ITC project once it completes further procedural steps and the inclusion in President Joe Biden’s budget last March of a recommendation to make the first payment of $200 million towards the federal contribution.
The approval of the $1 billion funding reservation for ITC was the culmination of an evaluation process conducted by the FTA that measures the community benefits of the project, including congestion reduction, air quality improvements and economic development potential. The FTA also evaluates the cost effectiveness of the project in providing those benefits.
The city has partnered with L.A. Metro and the County of Los Angeles to establish the ITC Joint Powers Authority, which will oversee the design, construction, operations and maintenance of the ITC, following contract award.
“The ITC will link our L.A. County Metro system to key destinations in Inglewood,” Los Angeles County Supervisor and L.A. Metro Chair Janice Hahn said. “It will also help alleviate traffic congestion, reduce emissions and increase ridership on L.A. Metro.”
The project is on track to start construction next year. All environmental approvals have been secured and a Community Workforce Agreement with the L.A./OC Building Trades Council has been executed to ensure that the project meets aggressive local hiring requirements and utilizes union labor, as 17,000 jobs are anticipated to be created by the project.
"Across the region, we are working to prepare to host major world events in the coming years like the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. I continue to support this vital project moving forward to provide major benefits to our region by improving transportation and creating good paying jobs,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. “I applaud Mayor Jim Butts for his leadership these last few years in securing Federal, State and local funding to expand our transit system in our region.”
EIP and the city are currently in discussions and negotiations regarding the project’s pricing and contractual terms, with a proposed contract anticipated to be considered by the city Council in the fall.
