Skanska-Stacy Witbeck JV wins $1.9 billion light rail project in California
The Skanska-Stacy Witbeck joint venture has been awarded the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Project contract by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, with a total contract value of $1.9 billion, of which Skanska's share is $957 million. The project includes a 6.7-mile at-grade light rail line, a 26-acre maintenance facility, and 11 new stations, with completion expected in December 2031.
Contract Award:Light Rail Project
Contract Amount:$1.9 billion
Project Location:Van Nuys, California
Owner:Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro)
A joint venture of Skanska and Stacy Witbeck has won a major infrastructure project in the San Fernando Valley of Southern California. According to a Skanska announcement, the joint venture has signed a $1.9 billion light rail transit construction contract with LA Metro. Stockholm-based Skanska's share of the contract is $957 million, indicating a roughly equal split, with the other partner being Stacy Witbeck, headquartered in Alameda, California. According to a press release from Stacy Witbeck, including pre-construction work, the total contract value is $2.4 billion.
The project scope includes building a 6.7-mile at-grade light rail line along Van Nuys Boulevard, as well as a 26-acre rail and maintenance facility. The joint venture will also develop 11 new stations, including shade structures and utility relocations.
"Delivering the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Project requires precision in every detail, from utility coordination to passenger operations, all along one of Los Angeles' busiest urban corridors," said Eric Meisgeier, Stacy Witbeck's project manager, in the company's press release. "We will build this project with the same focus and respect for the community that our team brings to all its projects."
The East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project will expand LA Metro's transit system and connect with the existing G Line bus route.
Both contractors have extensive experience in rail construction in the region. In May of this year, the Skanska Traylor Shea joint venture completed the 10-year, $2.2 billion Los Angeles D Line subway extension project. Unlike at-grade light rail construction, that project required extensive tunneling in a seismically active area, with careful handling of hazardous gas accumulations and the discovery of numerous Ice Age fossils during construction.
Meanwhile, heavy civil contractor Stacy Witbeck has a portfolio of numerous rail projects, such as the SMART commuter rail line station built in Petaluma, California, in 2025. That project scope included building a 6-mile pedestrian path along the tracks.
The light rail project is now underway and is expected to be completed by December 2031.