State budget ills put transit projects at risk

With the state budget in crisis, Los Angeles County transportation projects are grinding to a halt after officials announced Wednesday they would withhold bond money for those efforts. Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

The area had received commitments for $4 billion toward transportation projects over the next 10 years through Proposition 1B, a $19.9 billion bond passed in 2006.

The largest recipient of bond money was the $730 million for the northbound car-pool lane on the 405 Freeway between the 10 and 101 freeways. The state had also kicked in $90 million, the federal government approved $130 million, provided construction starts in 2009, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority was on the verge of awarding a contract.