INGLEWOOD – The City of Inglewood has announced they selected Elevate Inglewood Partners (“EIP”), a public-private partnership consortium comprised of Plenary Americas US Holdings, Inc. (equity member), Tutor Perini Corporation (lead contractor), Parsons Corporation (NYSE: PSN) (lead designer), Woojin Industrial System Co., Ltd. (automated transit system operator and supplier) and Alternate Concepts, Inc. (lead operations and maintenance contractor) as the Best Value Proposer to construct the Inglewood Transit Connector that will displace dozens of long-time Inglewood businesses.
The ITC Project includes design, construction, financing, operation, and maintenance of a 1.6-mile automated people mover that will connect the Metro K Line and 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 recent milestones included the commitment from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) last December to allocate $1 billion to the ITC project once it completes further procedural steps and the inclusion in President Biden’s budget last March of a recommendation to make the first payment of $200 million towards the federal contribution.
But after Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who represents Inglewood, wrote a letter to members of the House appropriations subcommittee, urging them to not fully award the City the funds, its chair, Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.), stripped $200 million — an installment of the full funding amount — in a draft budget bill.
The approval of the $1 billion funding reservation for ITC was the culmination of a rigorous evaluation process conducted by the FTA that measures the community benefits of the project, including congestion reduction, air quality improvements, and economic development potential.
According to Waters, the project doesn’t serve Inglewood residents but rather the billionaire owners of the venues located inside the Inglewood Sports and Entertainment District – Intuit Dome, Kia Forum, SoFi Stadium, and YouTube Theater.
“It will not provide convenient connectivity to employment or public services for local residents,” she said. “The ITC is designed primarily to allow public transit users to connect the extra 1.6 miles from Metro’s K Line to sports and entertainment venues. Shuttle buses could most likely accomplish the same goal at a fraction of the cost, but have not been seriously considered as an alternative.”
The FTA evaluated the cost-effectiveness of the project in providing those benefits which have been disputed by a think tank that looked at the project’s cost per rider.
Jeff Davis, a senior fellow at the Eno Center for Transportation, a think tank, said the project was fast-tracked for the Olympics and said stadium owners could bear more of the financial responsibility. The Eno Center estimated that the project would cost $470,000 per estimated daily rider, far more than other federally funded transit projects.
“The project is less about connecting underserved neighborhoods than it is about connecting the new Rams stadium and the adjacent office and entertainment complex,” he wrote in March.
The City has partnered with LA 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 the contract award.
The City has indebted its taxpayers to contribute $10 million towards the annual maintenance and operation costs. It has not been made public if the owners of the entertainment and sports venues will contribute towards those costs.
The City believes the project is on track to start construction next year despite Waters concerns that over three dozen businesses will be displaced by the project and that they haven’t fully addressed issues with the owners.
According to the City, a Community Workforce Agreement with the LA/OC Building Trades Council has been executed to ensure that the project meets aggressive local hiring requirements and utilizes union labor. 17,000 temporary 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 Mayor Karen Bass. “I applaud Mayor James Butts for his leadership these last few years in securing Federal, State, and local funding to expand our transit system in our region.”
The transit connector will not be built in time to accommodate any of the attendees of the major sporting events described by Bass.
“In addition to the environmental benefits, the ITC will foster continued economic revitalization in the City’s historic downtown area, create growth opportunities for transit-oriented development, and support affordable housing along the project alignment in the City,” said State Assemblymember Tina McKinnor.
“Inglewood continues to undergo an unprecedented renaissance – attracting a record number of visitors and jobs. To sustain and build on this growth, we need world-class transit to get our residents and visitors where they want and need to go,” said Mayor Butts. “We are grateful for the ongoing leadership, team effort, and support from our local, State, and federal partners – including U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Buttigieg and his team at FTA, Senator Padilla, Governor Newsom and his team at the State Transportation Agency, Assemblymember McKinnor, the LA Metro Board and CEO Stephanie Wiggins, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and the leadership of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments. I am confident that the EIP team will be a responsible and effective partner to help us deliver this essential infrastructure project that will serve the region for many years in the future.”