Contracts signed for Sepulveda rail project
Metro inks agreements to develop transit concepts
LOS ANGELES >> Sepulveda Transit Corridor Partners released details Wednesday for its plan for a “mega-project” to connect the San Fernando Valley, the Westside and eventually LAX through a highcapacity transit line.
The group — made up of Bechtel, Meridiam Infrastructure and American Triple I Partners — is one of two private teams that signed pre-development contracts Tuesday with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, along with L.A. Skyrail Express.
“Our team is proud to partner with Metro on this transformational project, and we look forward to bringing energy and creativity to deliver a solution for Metro and the people of Los Angeles. A key to this solution will be providing a world-class transit experience that is accessible with
easy connections and enhances the community experience,” said Keith Hennessey, president of Bechtel Enterprises, the financing and development group at Bechtel.
On March 25, Metro’s board of directors awarded a $69.9 million contract to Sepulveda Transit Corridor Partners to further develop its concept. Under the proposal, more than 60% of the
heavy rail concept would travel underground and the remainder would be primarily in an aerial section. It would take travelers less than 20 minutes to get from the Valley to the Westside, according to the proposal. Estimated costs are about $10.8 billion.
Sepulveda Transit Corridor Partners said Bechtel will lead the engineering phase of the transit concept with engineering partners Mott MacDonald, T.Y. Lin and Systra, as well as lead the review of construction processes from start to
finish during the pre-construction phase. The group will work with more than 25 “disadvantaged business enterprises.” It will also provide workforce training in collaboration with Metro’s training academy and says it will create a pipeline of thousands of well-paying and highly skilled jobs for Angelenos in coming generations.
“The Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project truly meets the moment in terms of Los Angeles’ immediate and long-term transit needs,” said Nicolas Rubio, CEO,
North America, for Meridiam. “We will work closely with Metro to consider our high-capacity transit solution concept, which could potentially take cars off the road and provide the public with more options for traveling through the Sepulveda Corridor.”
L.A. SkyRail Express was also given a notice to proceed on Tuesday for further development of its concept, Metro said. The board of directors had awarded L.A. SkyRail express a $63.6 million contract for development of
a monorail concept that would have an aerial alignment primarily within the 405 Freeway right of way between the Valley and the Westside. Under that proposal, travelers would get from the Valley to the Westside via monorail in 24 minutes. The project is expected to cost about $6.1 billion.
“With our partner teams now able to begin refining their concepts, Metro can begin preparing for the environmental phase, the first step in delivering a project that will address
our notorious traffic problems in the Sepulveda Pass, 405 and neighboring communities,” said Metro Board Chair Hilda Solis, who is also chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. “This project will offer a tremendous alternative to driving in the region and will bring new transit opportunities to a car-centric region that places transit riders at the forefront.”
The environmental review process for the project is scheduled to begin this fall.