Cities given grants to find improved metro access

All 34 Orange County cities have now accepted $100,000 grants from the Orange County Transportation Authority to examine ways they can improve access to the Metrolink commuter-rail system, officials said.

The Go Local program, pioneered in 2006, provides funding for such feasibility studies. A second phase of the program will see cities compete for more than $25 million in funding that may be used to pursue such projects.

“In the Go Local program, we are encouraging cities to think outside the box and come up with innovative ideas for these projects,” Vice Chairman Peter Buffa said in a news release. “We have turned to the cities for their ideas, because they have local knowledge and are most familiar with the needs of their communities.”

Costa Mesa and Newport Beach, among the six remaining cities to jump on board with the program, are using the funds in a joint study examining ways Metrolink could ease road and air traffic at John Wayne Airport.

— Chris Caesar