Phase two of the Expo Light Rail Line, from Culver City to Santa Monica, is now 50 percent complete and is on-time and on-budget, according to the Expo E-News Fall 2013 newsletter.
A majority of the eight bridges along the alignment are nearing completion, including the Venice Boulevard Bridge linking Phase 1 and Phase 2 at the intersection of Venice and Robertson boulevards.
Work at the 26th Street/Bergamot and Westwood/Rancho Park stations is well underway, with station foundation and utility work in progress.
Construction of the maintenance facility in Santa Monica began this summer and will be completed next fall.
Site excavation activities are ongoing and construction of building foundations will follow in the next quarter Utility relocations are continuing throughout the alignment, with SRJV working to minimize impacts on residents, businesses, drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists
“We are proud to announce that SRJV has achieved one million hours worked on the project without a lost time incident over the past two years, keeping both the construction team and the public safe,” the newsletter reads. “We appreciate your patience throughout this major construction work.”
The next major milestone for the Expo Phase 2 project is track installation starting this fall.
More than 30 miles of rail will be installed along the alignment between Culver City and Santa Monica by SRJV’s subcontractor Herzog-Delta, a team with over 100 years combined experience in the railroading industry.
The first installations of track across intersections will take place this month at Westwood Boulevard and Overland Avenue, and will require a full weekend closure at each location.
Westwood Boulevard between Ashby Avenue and Richland Avenue closed Friday, Nov. 15 at 9 pm and will reopen on Monday, Nov. 18 at 6 am.
Overland Avenue between Ashby Avenue and Coventry Place/Dunleer Place will be closed next weekend from Friday, Nov. 22 at 9 pm through Monday, Nov. 25 at 6 am.
The first track crossing installation in Santa Monica will take place next month at 11th Street, with an extended street closure and continuous work hours.
Additional crossings will be scheduled starting January 2014.
Phase 2 of the Expo Line is expected to start operating all the way to downtown Santa Monica in 2016.
Phase 2 will link the Expo Line from Culver City to the Santa Monica terminus at 4th and Colorado. The budget for Phase 2 is $1.5 billion.
For more information, visit buildexpo.org.
