With the 2028 Olympics drawing near, the Los Angeles region has secured nearly $900 million in federal funds to expand its Metro rail system and for other transit improvements, Mayor Karen Bass said in a March 12 statement.

“There’s no time to waste in strengthening our local infrastructure and transportation system to be ready to welcome the world for the Games,” the mayor said in the statement.

The bulk of the money, $710 million from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act enacted in 2021, will go to LA Metro for its East San Fernando Valley light rail project and an extension of the subway’s D line, or Purple Line, which serves central Los Angeles and the Westside.

The region will also receive $160 million in federal grants for “street and transit infrastructure, traffic safety and to improve connections between neighborhoods,” the statement said.

Most of that funding will go to projects that “reconnect communities” such as a pedestrian and bicycle crossing over the 710 Freeway near the Humphreys Avenue bridge. Also included: upgraded crosswalks, curb ramps for people with disabilities, and improved sidewalks.

Other recipients include the Port of Los Angeles, which will receive $5 million for a pedestrian bridge, and the city of Los Angeles, which will get $2 million to create 1.7 acres of open space in park-poor areas.

The overall goal is to provide transit during the Games and build lasting enhancements that will benefit neighborhoods in the long run, Sen. Alex Padilla said in the statement.

“Bikeshare stations can help students get to their college campuses, more efficient bus services will open up job opportunities, and mobility hubs will allow more Angelenos to avoid traffic,” said Mr. Padilla.

Beginning July 14, 2028, Olympic and Paralympic events will be held in venues throughout Southern California.