Considered one of the region's most significant transit projects, the 2-mile-long Regional Connector will provide one seat rides from Azusa to Long Beach and East LA to Santa Monica by connecting the Gold, Blue and Expo lines through downtown LA and adding three new stations downtown. Metro's The Source describes it this way: "This project essentially creates two major light rail lines: A north/south line from Azusa to Long Beach, and an east/west line from East LA to Santa Monica. In doing so it minimizes the need for transfers, reducing one-way trip times by 10-20 minutes or more."

Crews began relocating existing underground telecommunications lines on Friday. Metro is seeking a Full Funding Grant Agreement through the Federal Transit Administration's New Starts program. If fully funded the project could open in 2019.