January 11, 2012 Dave Sotero/Marc Littman Metro Media Relations 213.922.3007/213.922.2700 metro.net/press/pressroom mediarelations@metro.

net FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

L.A. METRO TO RELEASE FINAL EIS/EIR, HOLD OPEN HOUSES FOR REGIONAL CONNECTOR PROJECT ON JAN. 20
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) today announced it will release its Final Environmental Impact Statement/Report (EIS/EIR) for the Regional Connector Project on Jan. 20, 2012 for a 30-day public review period. Metro has also scheduled two community open houses Feb. 7 and 8 in Downtown L.A. to allow the public to learn more about the project and the report. The Regional Connector, a Measure R transportation project, is a proposed fully underground light rail line that will connect the Metro Gold Line to the Metro Blue Line and soon-to-open Expo Line. The Final EIS/EIR contains recommendations for the nearly 2-mile alignment and three station locations. The report also includes recommendations for environmental mitigations for the project. The Metro Board is expected to consider the report recommendations at its February 23, 2012 board meeting. Pending funding approval, construction could begin in 2013. The Regional Connector will connect the Metro Gold Line, Blue Line and Expo Line enabling passengers to eventually travel from Montclair to Long Beach and from East Los Angeles to Santa Monica as a "one seat ride." By providing continuous through service between these lines, the Regional Connector will improve access to both local and regional destinations and greatly improve the connectivity of the transportation network for the region. The report will be available at metro.net/regionalconnector or by visiting a public library throughout the project area. A list of these libraries also will be available on metro.net/regionalconnector.

The open houses will enable attendees to view report exhibits at their own pace, and Metro staff and consultants will be available to clarify and answer any questions attendees may have.

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L.A. METRO TO RELEASE FINAL EIS/EIR, HOLD OPEN HOUSES FOR REGIONAL CONNECTOR PROJECT ON JAN. 20 2222

The schedule for community open houses is as follows: Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Colburn School of Music, 200 S. Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA, 90012 Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Japanese American National Museum, 369 E 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90012 Content at each open house will be identical. Japanese, Korean and Spanish translation will be provided at all meetings. Special ADA accommodations will be available to the public for Metro-sponsored meetings. All requests for reasonable accommodations must be made at least three working days (72 hours) in advance of the scheduled meeting date. Please call the project information line at 213-922-6934. The TDD line is 800-252-9040. The Regional Connector Transit Corridor Study commenced in 2007 with the development of the Alternatives Analysis, which looked at over 30 potential alternatives. In 2009, the Metro Board of Directors approved the initiation of the Draft EIS/EIR to analyze four alternatives. In late 2010, a fth alternative was added to the study. This fth alternative was identied as the "Locally Preferred Alternative" in October 2010. The LPA was then further rened to address community comments regarding potential construction impacts. Portions of the Draft EA/EIR were recirculated during the summer of 2011. Public comments on the Final EIS/EIR will be accepted through February 20, 2012. Comments may be submitted via e-mail to regionalconnector@metro.net. Alternately, comments can be sent by U.S. mail to: Dolores Roybal-Saltarelli,

Project Manager, One Gateway Plaza, 99-22-2 Los Angeles, CA, 90012. The public may also comment on Metros web site (metro.net/regionalconnector) by clicking on contact us.

Metro-006 (General Release)

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