Project Advocacy - Alameda Corridor East

This rail corridor, to the east of downtown Los Angeles, is building a $1 billion series of grade separations along existing Union Pacific railroad tracks through the San Gabriel Valley and Inland Empire.

At its inception, there was considerable friction between the Ports and Alameda Corridor management, and the San Gabriel Valley, because of anticipated gridlock from increased rail off the Alameda Corridor. In 1996,

Bill Lyte was asked by a state legislator to help defuse the problems, which could potentially harm advocacy for both projects with federal legislators. He worked with the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership (Bruce Ackerman) and media consultant MBI Media (Mary McCormick) to create an advocacy group, “Friends of Alameda Corridor East” to help the project proceed and defuse problems.

The program ultimately received $20 million to startup a joint powers authority, and the two projects (which are related in name only) now work closely together as part of a regional goods movement consortium.