Here's the news release from the Expo Line Construction Authority, the agency building the Measure R-funded project between Culver City and Santa Monica:

California Supreme Court Denies Motion to Stop Work

Los Angeles, Calif. – In a ruling issued late Wednesday, the California Supreme Court denied a motion to stop construction on Phase 2 of the Expo Project, which was requested by Neighbors for Smart Rail (NFSR), a small group of homeowners that continues to challenge the Expo Line project in court despite losing in both Superior Court and the State Appellate Court.

As a result of this ruling, construction on the project will continue. The Exposition Construction Authority, elected officials, labor and business leaders had opposed the motion to stop construction, citing the massive costs and devastating impacts such an action would have had on jobs, the regional economy and traffic.

Construction work on the $1.5 billion project is already well underway along the entire Phase 2 corridor, including construction of multiple bridges and major structural elements.

“This decision preserves thousands of direct and indirect jobs just when our local economy is slowly starting to recover,” said Expo Board Chair and Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky. “At the same time, it keeps our efforts to build a modern transit system on-track.”

“We appreciate that the California Supreme Court is allowing construction of Expo Phase 2 to continue,” said Expo Construction Authority CEO Rick Thorpe. “We’re continuing to make significant progress in extending light rail from Culver City to Santa Monica and look forward to bringing congestion relief to the Westside.”

About the Expo Line

Service on Phase 1 of the Expo Line began in Spring 2012. Construction on Phase 2 is expected to be complete in late 2015. The Expo Line will bring greater mobility to the region by connecting West Los Angeles to the region’s existing rail network. These communities are traditionally underserved by public transportation and among the most traffic-congested in the nation. Learn more at www.buildexpo.org or www.facebook.com/ExpoLine.