With the recent announcement that Section 2 of the Purple Line Subway Extension to Century City had secured $1.6 billion in federal funding, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) announced on Jan. 16 that it is recommending that Tutor Perini/O&G be awarded the contract to build the much-anticipated extension.
The 2.6-mile extension will run through Beverly Hills to Century City, with stations at Wilshire Boulevard/Rodeo Drive, and at Constellation Boulevard/Avenue of the Stars.
The first section of the Purple Line Extension is currently being built between Wilshire/Western and Wilshire/La Cienega, with three new stations. The third and final section will extend the line to the Westwood/VA Hospital. Construction on the final section is slated to begin in 2019.
A LACMTA statement said that Tutor Perini would be the lead partner with O&G Industries in the Section 2 extension. O&G is known for its work with, heavy civil construction projects and has partnered with Tutor Perini on a variety of projects including the Alameda Corridor rail cargo expressway project in Los Angeles. Tutor was also involved in the construction of segments 2 and 3 of the Metro Red Line.
LACMTA made its decision following a lengthy and extensive bidding process and said it believes Section 2 should be completed on time and on budget no later than 2026,as per the funding agreement with the Federal Transit Administration. However, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Metro officials say they hope to have the extension completed by 2024, in time for the Summer Olympics, which Los Angeles is vying for.
“We can and must redefine our relationships with the contracting community to build Los Angeles County’s transportation future,” said LACMTA CEO Phillip A. Washington. “With their modern history of delivering successful tunneling projects throughout the world, [LACMTA] is confident that this contractor will play a critical role in helping us build the world-class public transportation system we have promised to voters.”
Tutor Perini expects the contract to be awarded by the end of January and hopes to begin construction in March. Metro staff presented its recommendations to the Metro Board of Director’s Construction Committee on Jan. 19, based on the firm’s proposal of $1.37 billion, which is approximately half a billion dollars lower than other competitor bids.
The full Metro Board is scheduled to consider the recommendation at its Jan. 26 meeting.
