After nearly a decade of construction and street closures through much of downtown, the long-awaited $1.8 billion Metro Regional Connector rail project is slated to open next week, two years late and more than $300 million over budget. When it opens on June 16, this new 1.9-mile light rail line underneath downtown will connect three of Metro’s light rail lines, allowing passengers to travel between Azusa and Long Beach and between East Los Angeles and Santa Monica without transferring lines.

It will also open three new rail stations next to concentrations of cultural landmarks: the performing arts venues on Grand Avenue at the north end of Bunker Hill; the Historic Broadway corridor; and Little Tokyo.

It’s been a long road to get to this point. Plans for a rail link to allow riders to seamlessly connect on the three rail lines first surfaced more than 15 years ago, with construction starting some nine years ago. The cost was initially pegged at around $1 billion, which by the time construction began had risen to $1.5 billion.

Numerous construction delays ensued as the digging revealed previously unknown utility lines and other surprises. That in turn pushed the construction cost $335 million over the nearly $1.5 billion budget.

The prime contractor team has been a joint venture of Skanska USA’s Civil West California District  and Evansville, Indiana-based Traylor Bros. Inc.

In building the Regional Connector, Metro implemented a project labor agreement that required all contractors and subcontractors working on the project to hire from local union halls or pay into a fund. 

During construction, Metro’s Business Interruption Fund provided support for businesses around the Little Tokyo/Arts District and History Broadway stations. In all, about $3.3 million was awarded to 56 small “mom and pop” shops.