Attachment A
760.955.5000
CITY OF FAX 760.245.7243
[email protected]
VICTORVILLE tp://ci.victorville.ca.u
14343 Civic Drive
P.O. Box 5001
НЕ ГРОРІНН Victorville, California 92393-5001
November 12, 2024
The Honorable Pete Buttigieg
Secretary
United States Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
Dear Secretary Buttigieg:
The City of Victorville is pleased to support the High Desert Corridor Joint Powers Authority's (HDC JPA) application for funding under the Federal State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail (FSP) Program. The proposed Southwest Region High-Speed Rail Integration Project (Integration Project) will focus on ensuring that three major elements of the Federal Railroad Administration's envisioned Southwest Region High-Speed Rail network optimize their connectivity and deliver the intended economic, environmental and mobility benefits.
The Integration Project has broad support and buy-in. It is being submitted in collaboration with Brightline West (BLW) and the California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority), who will work closely with the HDC JPA to implement the advanced planning design work. Further underscoring the broad support, non-federal matching funding for the application is committed from the State of California Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Improvement Program and from Los Angeles County Measure M.
Under your leadership, the federal government has made historic investments in passenger rail, most notably in the nation's first high-speed rail systems, Brightline West (BLW) and the California High- Speed Rail (CHSR) system, each of which received $3 billion in FSP funding last year. The High Desert Corridor (HDC), which has received federal funding as part of the Corridor Identification and Development Program, will connect these two systems together, expanding the benefits of each and forming the core of the Southwest Region HSR network. The HDC is an important element of the California State Rail Plan. The HDC HSR Project supports California's ambitious greenhouse gas reduction efforts, will improve safety, and will provide significant mobility, environmental, and economic benefits to a region that includes many historically underserved, low-income and disadvantaged communities. The HDC is projected to generate $12 billion in economic activity, and through a Community Workforce Agreement will create thousands of well-paying union jobs for the construction, maintenance, and operation of the system.
The need and timing for this Integration Project is clear. With the support of FSP funding, BLW is advancing its final design work and entering construction. This includes the eastern connection point between BLW and the HDC at the Victor Valley Station. At the same time, the CA Authority is advancing its planning of a station at Palmdale, which will be the western connection to the HDC. The coordination and planning funded through this application will enable the seamless connection necessary to allow one-seat rides between Los Angeles and Las Vegas and between the Central Valley/Northern California and Las Vegas. It is critical that this work be done in time to allow the continued progress of both BLW and CHSR and to optimize the benefits of the federal investment in those systems.
I thank you for your landmark work to improve the nation's transportation systems, and greatly appreciate your consideration of this important application.
Sincerely, c
Elizabeth Becerra
Mayor