Professional and Career Topics

As you know, Los Angeles will be hosting the first Summer Olympics in the United States in 32 years. However, as you may not already know, the International Olympic Committee is threatening to take the games away from Los Angeles due to lack of progress on infrastructure and the perception that international athletes may not feel safe in Los Angeles.

On notification that they had won the Olympics, Vancouver, BC immediately embarked on the most ambitious transportation endeavor in its country's history. Los Angeles did no such thing. The message of $1 invested in infrastructure returns $7 to the economy was notably absent since 2017 when LA was notified of the Olympic win. There are no plans to electrify Metrolink even though Caltrain completed a successful electrification project well over a year ago. Many of the 28 transit projects by the 2028 Olympics will not happen. There are no plans to implode Union Station - a huge setback in what's supposed to be a "car free" Olympics. Run-through tracks will not be installed at Union Station until 2031. Between 2017 and 2025, LA Metro massaged and scaled back its Link US Master Plan when it should have been building. Roadways are in horrific condition. Los Angeles has the 3rd worst roadways in California.

For these reasons and others, I am calling on ASCE Members to join me in testifying before the City of Los Angeles citing success stories from Salk Lake City (I-15 Project of the Year, new Airport, state-of-the-art infrastructure, approached by International Olympic Committee to host the 2034 Winter Games) and Vancouver BC (most ambitious transportation endeavor in its county's history). There needs to be a sense of urgency.

For more information on joining me in Los Angeles, feel free to call (425-466-5677) or email (davidmschwegel1@...) me.

I look forward to your favorable reply and ASCE's valuable role in helping our nation keep the 2028 Summer Olympics. 

By the way, Happy National Engineers Week. I hope your week was as rewarding as mine.