In 2016, when the NFL announced that the Rams and Chargers would be relocating to the City of Inglewood and building a new stadium for football, concerts, soccer and maybe even a future Olympics—the City of Inglewood saw a rare opportunity to provide a seamless connection for fans from across the County to access this new state-of-the-art destination without having to drive or brave the traffic congestion common for major sporting and entertainment events. The project is poised to serve several entertainment venues, including SoFi Stadium (home of the NFL’s LA Chargers and LA Rams), Intuit Dome (future home of the NBA’s LA Clippers), YouTube Theatre and the Kia Forum.

What started some years ago as “the Goal Line” Task Force has evolved into a 1.6-mile, three-station, fully elevated, electrically powered light-rail system, now called the Inglewood Transit Connector (ITC). This project will close the last-mile gap connecting passengers between Metro’s Crenshaw/LAX Line and Downtown Inglewood to the country’s premier sports and entertainment corridor. Proposed stations include Market Street/Florence Avenue, Prairie Avenue/Pincay Drive, and Prairie Avenue/Hardy Street.

In just 4 short years, the project has secured over $873 million in local, state, and federal funding, positioning the project for completion ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games. And in January 2024, the ITC project secured an additional $1 billion in federal funding. This grant, provided by the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Program, will cover 50% of estimated project costs. This funding milestone also demonstrates a significant endorsement from the federal government in recognizing the substantial impacts of this system and its ability to reduce traffic congestion and associated emissions throughout one of the populous counties in the country.

The Robert Group (TRG) has been leading public outreach and public engagement efforts since project inception.  And TRG continues to be at the forefront, providing public education, facilitating listening sessions, and capturing ideas on how to improve the project and ensuring the project benefits the Inglewood and transit riding communities. These efforts have been critical to shepherding the project through the rigorous Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) approval phases.

TRG prides itself on identifying innovative initiatives that go beyond conventional methods to motivate  and capture engaged participation such as video simulations and recordings, interactive exercises using new technology such as apps, walking tours, and pop-up events - all toward the goals of hearing from and engaging stakeholders who share a commitment toward bettering their communities.