L.A. Subway Costs

The cost of building the Los Angles subway system is comparable and in some cases less expensive than similar systems in the United States. Information gathered by the MTA provides a different perspective on the comparative cost of a mile of subway construction than reported recently in The Times. In your story of March 27, your reporter wrote, “The $5.5-billion subway project, the most expensive per mile in U.S. history.” This is simply not the case.

Set out below are “apples to apples” comparisons of subway and station construction costs for Los Angeles and other major U.S. cities. Coming up with a fair comparison is not as straightforward as your article implied. To be meaningful, construction costs have to be adjusted for: inflation--it costs more to build things today than 10 or 20 years ago; regional differences, such as local cost of building materials and labor; increasingly stringent government mandates, like the Americans with Disabilities Act and occupational safety regulations, and other factors outside an agency’s control, like earthquake seismic requirements and difficult ground conditions.

Taking all these factors into account, the cost of building a mile of subway in Los Angeles is $35 million, compared to $42 million in San Francisco, $52 million in Washington D.C. and $90 million in Boston. The cost of a subway station in Los Angeles is $50 million compared to $31 million in Boston, $50 million in Atlanta, and $54 million in Washington.

JOHN J. ADAMS

Acting Executive Officer, Construction

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority