OCTA Gets $5 Million for Light-Rail Study
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Congressional and federal transportation officials presented the Orange County Transportation Authority with a $5-million check Monday to study a proposed light-rail system.
Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove) announced funding for the study with federal and local transportation officials, said Lee Godown, spokesman for the congresswoman. Sanchez and Rep. Ron Packard (R-Vista) lobbied their peers in Congress for the funding.
“The potential for light rail in our county is exciting,” Sanchez said in a prepared statement. “Anything that would serve to ease our county’s automobile traffic congestion is definitely worth studying.”
When county voters approved Measure M in 1990, $340 million was set aside for urban rail. Studies conducted over the last seven years have resulted in a proposal for an 87-mile rail network throughout the county. The initial segment would cover 28 miles between Fullerton and Irvine.
Godown said much of the study will help gauge how city officials feel about light-rail trains running through their communities.
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