D Line Subway Extension Section 3

Alignment

Section 3 is the last of three sections of the D Line Subway Extension, which takes the subway nearly nine miles west from Wilshire/Western in Koreatown along Wilshire Boulevard to Westwood. Section 3 adds about 2.56 miles of twin-bored, double-track tunnel west from Century City/Constellation, the Section 2 terminus, to two new stations. Westwood/UCLA is under Wilshire Boulevard between Westwood Boulevard and Veteran Avenue, with entrances at Wilshire/Westwood and Wilshire/Gayley serving Westwood Village and UCLA. Westwood/VA Hospital, the new western terminus, is under the VA’s south campus just west of I-405, with its entrance south of Wilshire near Bonsall Avenue and a double crossover at each end. Between the two stations the tunnels pass beneath I-405 and Sepulveda Boulevard. Section 3 also buys 16 heavy rail vehicles.

The extension is opening in stages. Section 1 (3.92 miles, with Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax and Wilshire/La Cienega stations) opened on May 8, 2026. Section 2 (2.59 miles, with Beverly Dr and Century City stations) is due in spring 2027. Frontier-Kemper/Tutor Perini built the Section 3 tunnels under a contract awarded in November 2018. Tutor Perini/O&G holds the stations, trackwork and systems contract, awarded in May 2019. Funding comes mainly from the Measure R and Measure M sales taxes and a $1.3B federal New Starts grant. When all three sections are open, Metro expects downtown-to-Westwood trips to take about 25 minutes, and the Westwood stop will serve the athletes’ village at UCLA during the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Updates

2026-10 — Stations near completion; fall 2027 opening reaffirmed

Metro’s October community update kept Section 3’s opening at fall 2027 and Section 2’s at spring 2027. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing installation was 86% complete at both stations. The main entrances were 80% complete at Westwood/UCLA and 87% at Westwood/VA Hospital, though escalator and elevator work had further to go. Backfill over the VA station box was due to be finished in October, and the temporary decking at the I-405 ramps was scheduled to come out over two weekends in November.

2026-06 — 85% complete and within budget

Metro’s quarterly report put Section 3 at 85% complete. The current budget and forecast were both $3.7B, including finance charges, up from the $3.6B approved in 2019. Metro forecasts revenue service in 2027, about 13 months ahead of the 2028 date in the federal grant agreement. The stations contract is due for substantial completion in June 2027. Backfill and removal of the temporary street deck over the Westwood/UCLA station box on Wilshire Boulevard were completed in February 2026.

2026-05 — Section 1 opens; Sections 2 and 3 due in 2027

Section 1 opened on May 8, 2026, with three new stations and a trip of about 21 minutes from Union Station to Wilshire/La Cienega. At the opening Metro said Sections 2 and 3 were on track to reach Century City and Westwood in 2027.

2025-12 — Tunnel contract reaches substantial completion

Frontier-Kemper/Tutor Perini’s tunnel contract reached substantial completion on December 23, 2025. The same month, crews finished the concrete roof of the Westwood/VA Hospital station box. The Westwood/UCLA box roof had been completed in July 2025.

2024-04 — Tunneling complete

Metro held a ceremony marking the end of tunneling on the whole nine-mile extension. Section 3’s boring machines, Aura and Iris, started from the VA site and mined east. They broke through at Century City/Constellation in October 2023 and were removed in early 2024. Section 3 was then 50% complete and on budget. Excavation of the station boxes finished in July 2024 at Westwood/UCLA and in September 2024 at Westwood/VA Hospital.

2021-05 — Ceremonial groundbreaking

Metro, the FTA, the Department of Veterans Affairs and UCLA held a ceremonial groundbreaking on May 24, 2021, marking the start of major construction on the $3.6B section. The $1.3B federal grant is a stand-alone grant with no loans to repay, unlike the funding deals for Sections 1 and 2. Local sales tax measures cover the rest of the cost.

2020-03 — $1.3B federal grant signed

Metro and the FTA signed a $1.3B Full Funding Grant Agreement for Section 3 on March 17, 2020, at a total project cost of $3.6B. Metro’s CEO called it the final federal contribution needed to complete the Westside subway.