Skanska JV Lands $2.43B Contract for Light Rail Project in L.A.

Skanska and Stacy Witbeck have secured another contract to build one of Los Angeles County’s largest public transit projects.

The joint venture was awarded an additional contract by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority for the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project, bringing the total value of the JV’s work to $2.43 billion. 

The project calls for 6.7 miles of street-level light rail along Van Nuys Boulevard, stretching from Metro’s G Line north to San Fernando Road. The line will run through Van Nuys, Panorama City, Arleta and Pacoima, connecting with Metrolink and Amtrak.

Plans include 11 stations, utility improvements and a 26-acre rail and maintenance facility. Construction started in July, and it is set to be completed by December 2031.

The contract represents the construction component of a much larger public investment. Metro previously set the overall project at $3.57 billion and secured an $893 million federal grant for its development. The agency is funding the remainder through a combination of Measure M and other state, federal and local sources.

Metro is separately studying a 2.5-mile northern extension to the Sylmar/San Fernando Metrolink station.

The East San Fernando Valley line is part of a broader wave of transit investment planned for the Valley. In January, Metro selected an underground heavy-rail alternative for its proposed Sepulveda Transit Corridor, which would eventually connect the Valley with L.A.’s Westside.

Skanska also led a separate joint venture that recently completed the $2.4 billion first section of L.A. Metro’s D Line subway extension, adding three stations along Wilshire Boulevard to the border with Beverly Hills.

Gregory Cornfield can be reached at gcornfield@commercialobserver.com.