Expo Line: Get on that hard hat!

California Construction reports that the Expo Line is expect to actually begin construction in earnest in the next month. Sounds like workers will face the biggest hurdles with grade separations, stations and "aesthetics."

A joint venture team comprised of FCI Constructors, Fluor and Parsons will build the Exposition Light Rail Line along an old railroad right-of-way. The area for the track is narrow and is in densely developed area, says Ray Hughes, project manager for FCI Constructors. DMJM Harris will also provide engineering design on the project. "The laying of the track is the easy part," says Hughes. The more difficult aspects of the job are the grade crossings, station facilities and tying into the existing Blue Line, he adds. The Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority has departed from the typical light rail transit in the Exposition line design, says Tom Wilson, vice president with Parsons and design manager for the joint venture. The authority wants to develop an attractive transit parkway with landscaping and other elements of urban design, Wilson adds, but making the rail line aesthetically pleasing in such an urban area will be a challenge.

Comments

[Daniel OC]

as i remember, i thought the usc station is still an optional one... has a decision been made with it? on a sidenote, it'll be great when mta starts putting out the ads with a surfer in the expo line going towards santa monica. yay!

[CC]

Fight On, movielocke.

Seriously, though- opening this line in segments will help, especially with Galen Center/ Coliseum stops- parking, or worse, leaving from the parking lots is a mess even with buses. Rail doesn't have to wait in auto traffic!

[Manuel]

I agree with movielocke, Concentrate on the first part of the Expo line to Vermont and open that part ASAP so that it can be used for the USC games, students and soccer games at the Coliseum.

[Don Jimmes]

With all the new housing being built -Why not make any mega company pay into the cost of the new rail lines-
They can build these big new complex's--- but who is going to deal with the traffic created by the increase in houseing taking over the city-
HOUSING PROBLEMS=TRAFFIC PROBLEMS

[movielocke]

huzzah, hopefully they can get a lot of construction done before USC starts up again in the fall.

now imagine if Metro were intelligent (pipe dream I know) and opened stations along the way to get emergent benefits out of the rail line. they already build the line in a linear (from downtown toward culver) timeline, so why have the USC station sitting for years waiting for the Culver station to be built? It would make more sense to me to get the station at USC opened by fall 2008, rather than 2010. It would be a huge benefit for the bus riders working at SC, it would coincide with the opening of the future number one weekend destination of SC students (LA Live), and it would be beneficial for football games as well, making the coliseum accessible to someone from pasadena north hollywood, or long beach, for example.

Now if there were only a Diddy Reise in LA Live, SC students would never even have to travel to the Westside, except for the beach. :P

LALive will be such a relief for students wanting to catch a movie, eat out or go shopping, the closest places to SC are the Grove, Century City, The Bridge and Hollywood Highland. None are convenient, like LALive will be, the SC weekend ridership on the expo line to downtown will be tremendous, much, much higher than anyone is expecting.

I was an SC student several years ago, and I really wish they had the expo line then, it was such a relief when the Vermont Rapid went through, a rail line would have been unimaginably wonderful.

[Tom A.]

Awesome! Now hop to it with the Gold Line Foothill Extension before the 210 becomes a parking lot in both directions at rush hour.

[Bob Zwolinski]

Finally!!!
After 17+ years when the MTA purchased the right of way for a future rail line, they’re finally building it!
Kudos to Darrell Clarke and the “Friends4Expo” group for getting this project noticed and much thanks the MTA for getting this project funded and started.

I anticipate a speedy Phase-II resolution so it can proceed to Santa Monica ASAP!