A joint venture between Sylmar, Calif - based Tutor Perini Corp. and Torrington, CT-based O&G Industries Inc. has received a notice of intent to award a $1.4 billion contract for construction on Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (Metro) Purple Line Extension Section 3 in the city of Westwood. The JV is being recommended for the Section 3 Stations, Trackwork, Systems and Testing contract award, which is on the Metro Board agenda for February 28, 2019.

Tutor Perini said the company will build the new Westwood/UCLA station and the Westwood/VA Hospital station. Tutor Perini is also part of the Frontier-Kemper/Tutor Perini JV for the Section 3 Tunnels contract, which was awarded in November 2018.

The estimated $8.2-billion Purple Line Extension is one of Metro’s “priority projects.” It will provide a high-capacity, high-speed alternative for commuters to travel between downtown Los Angeles, the Miracle Mile, Beverly Hills and Westwood, where stations will be near UCLA and the VA Hospital.

From the current terminus at Wilshire/Western, the Purple Line Extension will extend westward for about nine miles and add seven new stations providing better access to the Westside, the region’s second-largest job center. Travel time between downtown Los Angeles and Westwood is expected to be about 25 minutes. The project is being built in three sections.

Section 1 will add 3.92 miles of new rail to Metro’s rail system, with three new stations located at Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax, and Wilshire/La Cienega. The project, currently under construction, will extend the current Purple Line from Koreatown through Miracle Mile and is expected to begin operations in 2023. Construction on this section is approximately 44 percent complete is being led by the STS (Skanska, Traylor Bros., Inc., and Shea) joint venture.

Section 2 includes 2.59 miles of additional tracks to Metro’s Rail system and two new stations at Wilshire/Rodeo and Century City/Constellation. The project, which is currently about 14 percent complete, will continue the Purple Line from Miracle Mile through Beverly Hills and into Century City. Currently under construction, Section 2 is expected to begin operations by 2025. Last year, Metro awarded a $1.37-billion construction contract to the Tutor Perini O&G JV for this section.

The third part of the project is Section 3, which will add 2.56 miles of new rail to Metro’s rail system and connect downtown Los Angeles to the Westside. The two new stations at Wilshire/Westwood and Wilshire/Veteran Administration property will be constructed by the Tutor Perini / O&G Industries JV.  

The Westwood/UCLA station box will be located under Wilshire Blvd, between Veteran Av and Westwood Blvd. The main station entrance will be located to the west of Gayley Ave and will be equipped with stairs, escalators, elevators and bicycle parking.

The Westwood/VA Hospital station box, including two crossovers, will be located to the west of the I‐405 Freeway and south of Wilshire Blvd. A pedestrian bridge to the south of Wilshire Blvd and vertical circulation equipment to the north will enhance patron access to the station entrance from existing bus stops at the elevated Wilshire Blvd overpass. The main station entrance will be equipped with stairs, escalators, elevators and bicycle parking.

Section 3 construction could begin later this year if Metro is successful in securing a Full Funding Grant Agreement from the Federal Transit Administration, says Dave Sotero, Metro communications manager. Work is expected to complete in 2026.