Congressman Henry Waxman Calls on US Secretary of Transportation to Investigate 405 Delays, Help Speed Completion

Today, Congressman Henry Waxman called on the US Secretary of Transportation to investigate the 405 delays. We appreciate Congressman Waxman’s “strong concern” for the delays and their impact for Angelenos. Waxman called for Secretary Ray LaHood to “do everything in his power to speed completion of the project.”

 

Some highlights from Waxman’s letter (emphasis added):

“The construction has been a nightmare for the several hundred thousand commuters who pass along I-405 on a daily basis and any delays caused by mismanagement or incompetence are simply unacceptable. ...

I urge you to initiate an investigation into the problems with the project and to help ensure that it gets back on track and is completed as quickly as possible.”

Congressman Waxman’s letter in full is embedded below (and readable as a PDF here):

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Live Blog from Today’s Metro Board Construction Committee: 405 Budget Vote Deferred

We will be updating this post with any major developments from today’s Metro Board Construction Committee meeting.  

Here’s a link to the agenda.

Highlights so far:

  • Nothing to report yet — the meeting is about fifteen minutes late starting, so far. (We can only hope this meeting starts sooner than a recent Metro Board meeting, which was almost 45 minutes late starting. The lack of respect these delays show for Metro Board members, Metro staff, and not to mention the public in attendance, is an ongoing concern.  
  • Still waiting. As of now, Pam O’Connor and Ara Najarian are idling at their seats with the rest of us, while we apparently await committee chair Don Knabe, and committee members Jose Huizar and Zev Yaroslavsky.)
  • A quorum has been reached, with Zev’s arrival. The meeting has now started (although Committee Chair Don Knabe and member Jose Huizar remain absent).
  • Item 37 has passed, authorizing a contract  modification for the 405 project relating to the Mulholland Overcrossing.
  • Right now, Metro’s Excutive Director, Transit Project Delivery K.N. Murthy is giving his update about all the different projects, including the 405 project. He says Metro and Kiewit are each analyzing the causes for the delays. They are currently working to prepare to open a one mile segment, and then a 2.5 mile segment of the HOV lane at the southern end.
  • Now we’re looking at the project budget update from Brian Boudreau, Executive Director - Project Management Oversight. He has an interesting look at the trends nationally of seeing increased construction costs due to supply and demand issues, if you will, among the availability of construction contractors. Brian notes we’re looking at a June 2014 opening. The contractor is asking for more time still [we’ve seen September mentioned elsewhere], Brian notes, but they’re trying to keep within the June date.
  • Item 39, today’s big agenda item relating to the 405 budget, has been pushed to June’s meeting. (It’s hard to imagine that this will help the timeline for the project, to keep pushing these sorts of votes back.)
  • CEO Art Leahy is now giving his update. 
  • The meeting is now over.

News Roundup: LA Times Reporter “Surprised” Elected Officials Haven’t “made it more of an issue”

Highlights of the LA Times’ Second Chat on the 405 Delays:

Los Angeles Times reporter Martha Groves did a second online chat with readers, regarding her follow-up story. Some comments by Martha Groves are particularly worth highlighting (bold emphasis added): 

Martha Groves: […] Metro will definitely seek to put a significant portion of the burden on Kiewit’s shoulders. This is going to be a battle royale. Each side is conducting “time-impact” analyses to determine responsibility. Once each analysis is done, the two sides will sit down to negotiate.

…

Martha Groves: Well, Zev Yaroslavsky in my previous story slammed Kiewit pretty hard. But, as a motorist who uses that freeway often, I’m surprised that more officials (Mayor V? Rep. Waxman? Councilmen Rosendahl and Koretz?) haven’t made it more of an issue. I guess the city and region have so many problems to contend with that this is, in a way, just one more…one that happens to affect 300,000 motorists a day.

TOMORROW: Metro Board Construction Committee to Vote on Cost Overuns

Tomorrow’s Metro Board Construction Committee meeting will feature a discussion and vote on cost increases.

View the Agenda here. Meeting location: Metro Board Room, One Gateway Plaza, 3rd Floor, Los Angeles. Time: Thursday, May 16, 2013 10:15 a.m.

Item 39 is a report on and vote on an “increase to the [Life of Project] budget by $78.7 million.”  The full report is embedded below. Some highlights:

What Tomorrow’s Vote is About:

Approve an increase to the LOP budget by $78.7 million, increasing the LOP budget from $1 ,070.7 million to $1,149.4 million

 

Initial Contingency Funds Too Small:

  • “The original Project budget contained an inadequate contingency of 3.7%.”

 

Schedule:

Schedule to Complete 

The current Substantial Completion date for the Project is May 31 , 2013. At this time, Kiewit has not substantiated any excusable delays to the project, however, Kiewit has informed Metro that the anticipated Substantial Completion is now September 2014. 

Metro believes that the work will be completed in June 2014, but in any case the original Substantial Completion date will not be met. Staff has requested a recovery schedule from Kiewit to mitigate delays, but Kiewit has not provided an acceptable recovery schedule to date. Metro is preparing a time impact analysis for the project, and will update the Board as schedule revisions are accepted.

Landscaping at Risk:

  • “Landscaping may be deleted from the project, with the approval of the City of LA and Caltrans.”

Read the full Metro staff report: 

(Click here to read the report if you can’t see the embedded document below: 

Streetsblog: 405 Project Team Shows Disregard for Bicyclists' Needs

We’re disappointed to read this week’s article in Streetsblog of impacts for bicyclists. We would add that this sort of callous disregard for bicyclists’ (and pedestrians’) needs is well apparent in other areas, such as where Wilshire and the 405 ramps intersect.   Bicyclists and pedestrians deserve the fullest protections possible for their safety and convenience.

The 405 Blues - Los Angeles Times - Letters to the Editor

The Los Angeles Times collected some letters to the editor on “the 405 blues.” Read them here. One reader calls for a rail line; another writes:

In 1988 I was diagnosed with two blocked arteries. While I was waiting for surgery, my doctor asked me not go to work because of stress. I told the doctor that as a manager, I could delegate and minimize the stress.

His response: “I’m not worried about stress on your job; I’m concerned about you driving the 405.”

Norman Redlich

Woodland Hills

More Media Coverage from London, New York, San Francisco, & Los Angeles

We have been absolutely blown away by the global, national, and local media interest in this story, and we’re so grateful to Elon Musk for making possible these efforts to push for faster completion of the 405 freeway.

There’s too much out there to get it all, but a sampling of some recent coverage:

ABC News - Good Morning America

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