The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has issued a request for proposals to help develop the Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project, a proposal to build a train line between the San Fernando Valley, to the west of Los Angeles, and the city’s international airport.
Metro has been working up proposals for the corridor since 2017, and has now reached the stage where private sector partners can be brought on board to provide engineering support with planning, design and costing of the scheme.
The aim is to provide alternative to the I-405, one of the most heavily used urban motorways in the US, used by up to 400,000 people a day.
Sepulveda is part of Metro’s $5.7bn "Measure M" plan, to put in place transit services to the San Fernando Valley and the Westside suburb of LA, the first phase of which is scheduled to open by 2033. About $3.8bn has been allocated to the train link between LA, the Westside and the airport, with an opening date of 2057.
Metro is seeking a pre-development agreement with up to two companies. The winners will provide engineering know-how, after which they will have an opportunity to submit a proposal to build the line, possibly as a public-private partnership.
The agency is now working on a feasibility study to evaluate alternatives for the project. That study will conclude by the end of 2019, the deadline for bids will be in April and the private sector companies will be chosen during the summer.
Contractors interested in the Sepulveda project can download details of the request for proposals here.
Image: The I-405 freeway as it passes through the Sepulveda Pass (Cbl62/CC BY-SA 3.0) [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/]
