Exposition Light Rail Transit Phase 2 Design-Build
Award
Description
“In March 2011, the Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority Board of Directors met and approved the recommendation that the Chief Executive Officer execute a contract with the Skanska/Rados joint venture team for the design and construction of the Exposition Light Rail Transit (LRT) Phase 2 project (Expo Phase 2). Skanska/Rados, in association with WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff as lead designer, was the design-build team selected in a two-step procurement process.
The Expo Line is the first passenger rail line to serve the Los Angeles Westside since the abandonment of the Pacific Electric Railway Santa Monica Air Line in 1953, which used the same rail right-of-way. Expo Line’s 4th/Colorado terminus station in Santa Monica is the first Metro Rail line with service to a station within short walking distance (10 minutes) to the ocean.
The Expo Phase 2 light rail project added seven stations, terminating at 4th Street/ Colorado in Santa Monica near the beach, and 6.6 miles of new light rail service from the Phase 1 terminus in Culver City to Santa Monica.
Phase 2 service follows the Phase 1 route from downtown Los Angeles to Culver City. From there, the service continues west, crossing Venice Boulevard. It runs parallel to (and south of) the I-10 Freeway, before crossing under the freeway to the north. The line continues west through a canyon near Palms Park, and then under the I-405 Freeway along Exposition Boulevard. It remains on the Exposition right-of-way through West Los Angeles until midtown Santa Monica. Finally, it merges into the median of Colorado Avenue, where it continues to its final western terminus in downtown Santa Monica. Travel along the Phase 2 extension (between Culver City and Santa Monica) takes just under 20 minutes.
The line follows the existing right-of-way of the Pacific Electric Red Car rail line. A dual-track light rail line was constructed in place of an abandoned single track that has not been in operation for decades. The project includes station and track design as well as designs for 24 street crossings, in some cases using newly constructed above-grade-level bridges and in others using at-grade crossings with gates.
The Expo Line uses standard Metro light rail vehicles that are 90 feet long, 15 feet tall, and 8.6 feet wide, and take power from overhead catenary wire. Metro uses 23 overhauled Nippon Sharyo P865 vehicles, which were transferred from the Metro Blue Line. Metro has also purchased 44 new Kinkisharyo P3010 cars for the Expo line. All station provide safe and convenient customer interfaces and site connectivity which reflect Metro’s system-wide, state-of-the-art design standards.
Service on this $1.5 billion project began May 20, 2016. By 2030, the completed Expo Line is expected to attract a ridership of approximately 64,000 per day. The Expo Line is a key component of a regional plan to provide cost-effective, environmentally friendly mass transit options and increase mobility in Southern California. By providing an efficient alternative to driving for Angelenos and visitors, the Expo Line will also contribute to reduced levels of air pollutants, greenhouse gases, along with improving the overall quality of life in this region.”
Branch