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Los Angeles Metro and Los Angeles DOT opened five miles of peak hour bus lanes on Wilshire Boulevard on April 8, reducing travel times by up to 15 minutes for those traveling the entire corridor, Metro officials say.

The new lanes, which are reserved for buses and bicyclists during the morning and afternoon peak periods, join 1.8 miles that entered service in 2013, bringing the current length of the lanes to 6.8 miles. Metro expects to open the final segment, which covers nine-tenths of a mile, later this year. Both regular fixed routes and Metro Rapid BRT will operate on the lanes.

“The Federal Transit Administration is proud to partner with Los Angeles to bring more state-of-the art transit options to the growing region,” FTA Acting Administrator Therese McMillan said at an event in advance of the opening. “Enhanced bus service along Wilshire Boulevard will make a huge difference for the thousands of Angelenos who rely on public transit to travel throughout this busy corridor—to jobs downtown, school at UCLA, medical care at the VA Hospital in Westwood and other important destinations.”

Other dignitaries at the launch event included APTA President & CEO Michael ­Melaniphy and Los Angeles Mayor and Metro Board Chair Eric Garcetti, who said the new bus lanes give city residents multiple options, ease traffic flow and reduce air pollution in “the car capital of the world.”

Funding for the $31.5 million transportation improvement project came from a $23.3 million federal Very Small Starts grant and an $8.2 million local match. While Metro secured funding and environmental approval, the city and county of Los Angeles led construction of the segments within their jurisdiction.