Quicker Commute

Building a $330 Million Busway in the San Fernando Valley

Completion of the 14-mi.-long landscaped "expressway" is still on schedule despite a 28-day delay caused by remediation of contaminated soil. The $330 million busway, called the Orange Line, will cross 33 intersections in the densely populated area north of downtown Los Angeles. MTA officials claim the trip by bus will take 30 fewer minutes than a parallel commute by car on the Ventura Freeway.

By Greg Aragon

Construction on the $330 million Orange Line Busway in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles is cruising in the fast lane and nearing the halfway point, even though the job has required working through contaminated soil and 33 different intersections.

	Construction activity in mid-May at one of 33 intersections to be bisected by the Orange Line in the San Fernando Valley (Photo by Greg Aragon).

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority's 14-mi.-long busway consists of a 26-ft.-wide, two-lane landscaped "expressway" to be used solely by a fleet of clean-burning buses. Thirteen of the miles are constructed in the former Southern Pacific Railroad right-of-way along portions of Oxnard Street and Victory and Chandler boulevards.

When the project is complete in August 2005, riders will be able to commute between the North Hollywood Metro Rail Station (the northern terminus of the Red Line) and Warner Center in Woodland Hills. In North Hollywood, passengers can transfer to MTA's Metro Red Line subway to Hollywood and downtown.

The design/build project is being headed by the Hayward-based Shimmick/Obayashi Joint Venture, which has a $154 million construction contract. The busway is intended to alleviate traffic along the molasses-like Ventura Freeway (State Route 101) and is projected to save commuters about 30 minutes in traveling time compared to taking the freeway.

"As anyone that's driven on the Ventura Freeway during rush-hour traffic knows, it is miserable in and out of L.A.," said Roger Dames, MTA deputy executive officer and project manager. "[The Orange Line] is an economical and viable solution for people who commute to downtown Los Angeles. It will definitely beat the automobile."

Contaminated Soil Found
But before the bus line could be built, MTA had to clean up a significant amount of arsenic and lead that was discovered earlier this year at 21 isolated locations along the Orange Line's route. The clean-up process delayed the project 28 days, Dames said.

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Heavy metals were discovered in a portion of the project that was found to inhibit growth in test-plot plantings. The test plots were planted to investigate soil suitability/fertility in connection with future landscaping of the busway, Dames added.

The tests were conducted after an MTA environmental impact report focused on hazardous materials that may not have been discovered during previous environmental assessments.

"These contaminants may have originated from historical application of herbicides throughout the right-of-way, leaching of creosote-treated or preserved wooden railroad ties, as well as former transportation and tenant use of properties within the right-of-way," Dames said.

With the help of Denver-based CH2MHill Inc., MTA has removed contaminates from "hot spots" and sent them to various landfills, depending upon the concentration of their hazardous materials.

Despite the clean-up, Dames said the busway — which expects about 22,000 daily Orange Line riders by the year 2020 — is on schedule and within budget.

Included in the Orange Line project are 13 busway stations that are approximately 1 mi. apart. Designed by Highland-based Washington Group International (for approximately $11 million) the stations will feature original art as well as lighting, seating, security cameras, public telephones, bicycle racks and ticket-vending machines. Station signage will display the wait time between buses and other operating information.

A Path for People
The busway will also include six park-n-ride lots with a total capacity for approximately 4,200 vehicles and an $8.1 million bikeway/pedestrian path being built parallel to the route. ValleyCrest Landscape Development of Calabasas will add approximately 10,000 trees and more than 1 million plants.

In making its way across the San Fernando Valley, the Orange Line must cut through 33 separate intersections.

"Construction-wise, it's a simple project to understand," said Paul Camaur, Shimmick/Obayashi project manager. "But to get 33 intersections constructed in multiple phases while keeping the project on track and traffic flowing is a major challenge." Camaur, whose company won the Orange Line contract with a bid of $154 million, added, "It would certainly be easier to have a full closure and perform all of the work on the intersections [at once] instead of having to do pieces."

Working on 17 Intersections
There are currently 10 intersections complete and 17 under construction. Camaur said that by having crews working inward from each end of the project, he hopes to have all intersections complete (and all stations under construction) by the end of the year.

Earlier this year, Fontana-based Brutoco Engineering and Construction completed the first of three project bridges, a 525-foot, $3.8 million span over the Los Angeles River in the Sepulveda Basin. Shimmick/Obayashi will complete the Tujunga Bridge later this month and the Bow Creek Bridge by the end of the year.