Construction of Metro Gold Line Reaches 2 Million Hours Without a Lost Time Accident
The Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension construction project completed more than 2 million hours without a lost-time accident since construction began July 2004 on the six-mile light rail alignment that will connect downtown Los Angeles and East Los Angeles via Little Tokyo and Boyle Heights.
Construction crews from Eastside Light Rail Transit Contractors (ELRTC) received July 25th the Outstanding Safety Achievement Award in a barbecue lunch attended by Metro Board Chair Pam O’Connor, Los Angeles County Supervisor and Metro Board member Gloria Molina and Metro CEO Roger Snoble. Metro staff and construction workers were congratulated as a team for an on-time, on budget, high quality project that has set a “world class” safety record.”
O’Connor praised the construction crew for “landing the effort of building a network of transit that will be here for the whole of the 21st century and you’ve done it safely.”
“I’m so impressed with the work you’ve done in the last three years. It’s amazing how we’ve progressed so quickly,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor and Metro Board member Gloria Molina, who fought to bring the Metro Gold Line to East Los Angeles. “It is a tribute to the unbelievable work the construction crew has done over the past three years.”
Safety officials pointed to constant communications efforts, including daily “tool box” meetings and ongoing safety hazards evaluations of the job site as major factors in the 2 million hour record.
“The mindset of the construction workers is not to let accidents happen,” said Snoble, after the accident-free record reached 1,112 days.
“Whether it was a year ago or now, they have exactly the same attitude. They want to keep each other safe and the contractor is part of our safety culture,” said Metro Executive Officer for Construction Project Management Dennis Mori.
The six-mile light rail construction project will stretch from Union Station in downtown Los Angeles to Atlantic and Pomona Boulevard in East Los Angeles via Little Tokyo/Arts District and Boyle Heights.
The eight new stations will be Little Tokyo/ Arts District, Pico/Aliso, Mariachi Plaza, Soto, Indiana, Maravilla, East Los Angeles Civic Center and Atlantic. Two of the stations will be underground along a 1.7-mile tunnel under Boyle Heights. The light rail project is scheduled to open in 2009.
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Sign proclaims safety milestone for the Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension at construction site. Below, Metro Senior Safety Specialist Javier Lora, second from left, talks with construction workers Julian Garcia, Michael Bolton and Kurt Edwards.
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