The $1.2 billion Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) Crenshaw/LAX Transit project is a major part of a $2 billion program. This project provides a new 8.5-mile double-track guideway light rail line to extend service between the existing Metro Green Line near LAX and the Exposition Line at the Crenshaw/Exposition intersection. There are eight stations and a mixture of at-grade, street-running, aerial, and underground sections.
Overview
PMA Role
PMA was asked by LA Metro to expedite a schedule assessment to meet an FTA requirement for an independent third party to determine the most likely revenue operations date for this light rail project. PMA evaluated the current schedule documentation from the contractor and other documentation provided by LA Metro. PMA staff walked the alignment with LA Metro project staff to observe the current project status. PMA also participated in an assessment discussion with project staff at the Crenshaw field office led by the Metro team. Based on these observations, PMA performed an assessment and provided an executive-level summary report that showed that the likelihood of meeting the current revenue service date (RSD) was less than 10 percent. Based on these findings, PMA recommended a revised RSD that was presented to the LA Metro Board and the FTA.
As a follow-up to our report, PMA was asked to brief LA Metro’s CEO and the project executive staff on a road map for attempting to complete the project by its current completion date. As a result of our efforts, Crenshaw project leadership has a detailed plan to get the project back on track. PMA was asked to support the executive team with strategic advice as the project moves from civil works into the systems installation and start-up and testing phase.