LA Transit ‘Mega Project’ to Link San Fernando Valley to West Side, LAX

Sepulveda Transit Corridor Partners signed a pre-development contract with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Tuesday.

Source : LA Metro

August 5, 2021

Author : Alex Bustillos

The project would ultimately connect the San Fernando Valley, the Westside and LAX with high-capacity transit.

Sepulveda Transit Corridor Partners includes Bechtel, Meridiam Infrastructure and American Triple I Partners. The group, along with LA Skyrail Express, inked out a contract on Tuesday with Los Angeles’s Metro.

“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,” Keith Hennessey, president of Bechtel Enterprises, the financing and development group at Bechtel, said. “A key to this solution will be providing a world-class transit experience that is accessible with easy connections and enhances the community experience.”

According to Whittier Daily News, Metro’s board of directors awarded Sepulveda Transit Corridor Partners $69.9 million to develop its concept in late March. The outlet notes that the proposal consists of 60 percent heavy rail concept, all underground, and the remaining 40 percent would be in an “aerial section.”

The project would come out at $10.8 billion and allow travelers to get from the valley  to the westside in less than 20 minutes.

Sepulveda Transit Corridor Partners will see construction giant Bechtel lead engineering and constructability of the project with help from engineering firms Mott MacDonald, T.Y., Lin and Systra. They’ll also include participation from 25 disadvantaged business enterprise and work with Metro to provide workforce training intended to foster thousands of careers in the area.

The Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project truly meets the moment in terms of Los Angeles’ immediate and long-term transit needs,” Nicolas Rubio, CEO, North America, for Meridiam, said. “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.”

LA Skyrail was also told to proceed on Tuesday with further development of its concept. They were given $63.6 million for the development of their monorail concept which would get travelers from the valley to the westside in 24 minutes.

Now, partners are getting ready for the environmental review phase, what Metro Board Chair Hilda Solis has called “the first step in delivering a project that will address our notorious traffic problems in the Sepulveda Pass, 405 and neighboring communities.” The environmental review process is scheduled to begin this fall.

As the Metro website notes, “the natural barrier created by the Santa Monica Mountains means that most people traveling between these areas are funneled primarily onto the I-405 Freeway, already ranked as one of the most traveled urban highways in the nation.” According to officials, more than 400,000 people travel through that area every day.

“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,” Metro board member Solis said.

Category : Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Investment in Infrastructure Local Government Airports Freeways and Highways

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