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| Pasadena Gold Line |
Project Description
As lead design engineer, Parsons played an integral part in one of the most anticipated transportation projects in Southern California. After years of legislative, technical, fiscal, construction, and community challenges, the Gold Line opened on July 26, 2003. The Gold Line is an outstanding example of Parsons’ design-build services for project delivery:
- An estimated 12 months were saved using the design-build approach on this fast-track project.
- The Gold Line was ready for revenue service a mere 34 months after the notice to proceed was issued.
In January 1999, the California State Legislature created The Los Angeles to Pasadena Metro Blue Line Construction Authority (PBLA). That agency’s responsibility was to “design, procure, and build a public transportation system between Los Angeles, Pasadena, and the San Gabriel Valley.” Renamed the Gold Line, the two-phase project runs along the existing rail right-of-way from Los Angeles to Claremont (38 miles). The PBLA issued design-build procurement documents for Phase I of the project in the summer of 2000. The Authority chose design-build as the method of contracting, and Parsons was instrumental in the successful bid of the joint venture between Kiewit Pacific and Washington Constructors. The contract consisted of the design, construction, installation, and testing/commissioning of the completed project.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) operates the completed line using 26 state-of-the-art light rail vehicles trains seating 76 passengers each. Trains operate every 12 minutes during the week and every 20 minutes on weekends. LACMTA projected a weekday ridership up to 32,000 in the first year.
Phase I of the project extends 14 miles from Union Station in downtown Los Angeles to the eastern border of Pasadena. The Gold Line serves the communities of Los Angeles, Chinatown, Lincoln Heights, Highland Park, South Pasadena, and Pasadena with six stations in Los Angeles, one in South Pasadena, and six in Pasadena. The Sierra Madre station terminus is configured to facilitate the extension of the light rail transit line 24 miles to the east where Phase II of the project will conclude with termination in San Bernardino County at Claremont, California.
Parsons lead the design team for the construction subcontractor, Kiewit-Washington joint venture. Parsons was responsible for the design, construction support, system-integration, and safety certification of the project. The scope of work included: utility relocations, civil-roadway, structural, geotechnical, environmental compliance monitoring, mechanical, electrical, trackwork, station urban planning, architecture and landscape architecture, light rail transit (LRT) systems (traction power, overhead contact system [OCS], signals, and communications and operations control center), street traffic signal preemption, and a maintenance facility. The corridor used the right-of-way formerly occupied by the Pasadena subdivision of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. The Gold Line expands the entire Metro rail system to 73.1 miles. At Union Station, the Gold Line connects to the Metro Red Line, Amtrak and Metrolink commuter rail.
Due to its sheer size, the project was divided into 10 geographic construction sections. These included a street running section, dozens of earth retained sections, a storage yard and maintenance facility, 13 stations, 2 tunnels, and 4 miles of alignment in the median of the I-210 freeway. There are 28 street crossings at-grade and 41 separated crossings in the cities of Los Angeles, South Pasadena, and Pasadena. The Colorado Street tunnel under Old Pasadena is 1,300 ft. long and incorporated complex underpinning construction techniques, as well as the latest fire-life-safety provisions.
Parsons has been recognized for its exceptional sensitivity to environmental issues such as abatement of tunnel noise and vibration, as well as integrating urban design with local and cultural landmarks. Parsons’ design incorporated features that complement the architecture, public spaces, and ethnicity of local communities. Safety features were also of prime concern, particularly in congested surface sections. Parsons played the lead role in integrated testing and meeting the requirements of a rigorous safety certification process for all system elements.
The Parsons team faced and met a number of technical and managerial challenges. One of the first technical challenges was to fit a double-track light rail system, complete with OCS, wayside equipment, and passenger stations, in a right-of-way previously used by a single-track freight railroad. This problem was particularly difficult in the cut-and-cover section under Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena where the structure design was close to old building foundations and basements. Project management challenges came in the form of constantly changing schedule demands, multi-agency and multi-city levels of bureaucracy, and a decision midway through the project to change the name from Blue Line to Gold Line.
Parsons continues to meet the challenge of providing its skilled design and project management services to meet the growing demands of transportation problems throughout the world. According to LACMTA statistics, 20% of the households in the San Gabriel Valley area do not have an automobile, as compared to 10.9% for the rest of Los Angeles County. The Gold Line is sure to become one of the vital links in the Southern California transportation hub and a realistic alternative to the growing traffic gridlock in the Los Angeles area. The Gold Line is a shining example of a design-build model that can be used by urban rail planners to deliver a project on time and within budget.
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