Work Begins on Los Angeles' New Light Rail System

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has begun construction on the 8.5-mile-long Exposition Light Rail between Los Angeles and Culver City. The $640-million design-build project is being headed by a joint venture of Flatiron Construction Corp., Longmont, Colo.; Fluor Corp., Irving, Texas; and Parsons Transportation Group, Pasadena, Calif. If the contractors deliver the 10-station project on time for a February 2010 completion and under budget, they will receive 20% of any project savings. If completion is late, the contractors will have to provide all of the staffing that they need at their own cost. One challenge facing the contractors will be cleaning up arsenic in the soil along 6.5 miles of the project, where a bikeway is planned.