The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) awarded a contract to a joint venture of Parsons Brinckerhoff and STV Inc. to provide environmental and preliminary design services for an extension of the Metro Green Line light rail to Los Angeles International Airport.

The Green Line LAX extension will link the planned Metro station at Century and Aviation, about 1.5 mi from the airport, with the central terminal area of LAX, by one of three alternatives – an aboveground or underground extension of the Green Line light rail, or an automated people mover.

The joint venture, named ConnectLAX, will prepare the alternatives analysis, final environmental impact statement/environmental impact report (EIS/EIR), and conceptual engineering to support the final EIS/EIR. The contract includes two phases: Phase 1, for environmental approval, and Phase 2, which includes preliminary design of the alternative chosen for the extension.

Completion of the EIS/EIR is scheduled for late 2012.

The Green Line LAX Extension is one of the Metro capital projects being funded by Measure R, a program of transportation improvements totaling $40 billion over 30 years funded by a one half cent sales tax approved by the voters of Los Angeles County in November 2008. Rail and transit improvements are the cornerstone of the program, with over half of the total Measure R revenues dedicated to a broad set of commuter rail, light rail and bus projects.