The first-ever light-rail project being built in the San Fernando Valley has gotten a big boost, as LA Metro awarded a $2.43 billion construction contract to build out the new line.
The major construction contract was awarded to Skanska USA and its partner, Stacy Witbeck to build the first phase of the street level project, which will run 6.7 miles between the G (Orange) Bus Rapid Transit Line in Van Nuys to the intersection of Van Nuys Boulevard and San Fernando Road in Pacoima.
A second phase still being studied would travel 2.5 miles alongside the Metrolink heavy rail line into San Fernando, from San Fernando Road at Van Nuys Boulevard to the Sylmar Metrolink Station.
“The East San Fernando Valley Light Rail project is an investment in mobility for the region,” said James Bailey, executive vice president of Skanska USA Civil’s West Coast operations.
Many people in majority-minority communities of Van Nuys, Panorama City, Arleta and Pacoima will eventually get their first modern light-rail system. Some destinations along the line include the Van Nuys Civic Center, the Panorama Mall, multi-residential housing in Van Nuys and Arleta High School.
Residents are primarily immigrants from Mexico, the Philippines, Central America and Russia. A large majority do not own cars and usually take the buses running along Van Nuys Boulevard and intersecting streets, as well as the Bus Rapid Transit G (Orange) Line.
The award includes both pre-construction work, such as utility relocation, and building of the tracks and stations along Van Nuys Boulevard. Early construction work began in late 2024.
The first phase of the $3.6-billion project involves building a light-rail down the median of Van Nuys Boulevard, starting at Oxnard and San Fernando roads.
The work will consist of a double track and includes 33 electric light-rail train cars, 11 center-platform train stations and a 21-acre maintenance and train storage facility near Keswick Street, just west of San Fernando Boulevard, Metro reported.
The train line is expected to be completed in December 2031, said Andrew Grubb, project executive at Skanska USA Civil West in an emailed response.
Construction needs to move ahead with close coordination with LA Metro, the city of Los Angeles Department of Transportation and Bureau of Engineering. The Van Nuys corridor in the northeast San Fernando Valley is within the city of Los Angeles.
Skanska uses planning, project phasing and other measures such as GPR, or Ground Penetrating Radar that that looks for underground conduits or buried utilities using radio waves, Grubb said.
“Traffic is probably the biggest obstacle to construction. The project is being built along Van Nuys Boulevard, which is heavily trafficked and runs through neighborhoods, past businesses and schools, and serves as a commuter corridor,” wrote Grubb.
Construction is married with slowing vehicle traffic and making work zones safe for crews and the public, he wrote. “That takes real partnership with the city agencies and with the community,” he said.
While LA Metro is using funds from tax Measures M and R, the project has also received the following outside funding:
• $1.5 billion in federal dollars
• $600 million from the state Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP).
Trains are expected every 7–10 minutes during peak hours, Metro estimated.