On Dec. 21, 2016, the National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association (NRC) named the Exposition Light Rail Transit Phase 2 Design-Build Project (Expo 2) by Skanska-Rados Joint Venture (SRJV) as the 2016 Large Project of the Year.

Expo 2 by SRJV provides transit access from Downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica Beach, connecting the University of Southern California, Exposition Park, and West Los Angeles for the first time in 60 years. Expo 2 wove a 6.6-mile urban light rail extension of the Metro Expo Line through the congested Westside of Los Angeles. It added seven stations, two aerial, four at grade, and one elevated station adjacent to the Colorado Esplanade Project, which connects the station to the newly renovated Santa Monica Pier. Systems and electrical work included a low-profile overhead catenary system (OCS), train control and signals, crossing protection, traction power, and communications.

NRC says “the project’s urban location required extensive maintenance of traffic planning for vehicles, public transit commuters, pedestrians, and cyclists. Outreach efforts identified noise as a primary concern for residents, and high profile theaters and recording studios, so a GERB track system was installed to mitigate vibration and noise emitted by light rail vehicles. Expo 2 boasts two independent GERB systems, the first and second installed in the United States.”

SRJV will be honored on Wednesday, January 11 at the 2017 NRC Conference in Boca Raton, Fla.