Meeting_Body
CONSTRUCTION COMMITTEE
MARCH 18, 2026
Subject
SUBJECT: K-LINE EXTENSION TO TORRANCE
Action
ACTION: APPROVE CONTRACT AWARD
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
AUTHORIZE the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to:
A. AWARD a cost-plus fixed fee contract, Contract No. AE130368000, for a period of five years, with two, three-year options, to Hill International, Inc., for Program Management Support Services (PMSS) for the K-Line Extension to Torrance Project (formerly referred to as the C (Green) Line Extension) in an amount Not-To-Exceed (NTE) $89,198,548 for the base term, subject to the resolution of any properly submitted protest(s), if any; and
B. EXECUTE individual Contract Modifications within the Board-approved CMA.
Issue
ISSUE
Staff is seeking the Board’s approval of a contract award to provide program management and construction management support services to meet the Board’s expectation of delivering the K-Line Extension to Torrance Project, formally known as C (Green) Line Extension Project. This contract will allow staff to continue the momentum already established in the ongoing coordination with third-party stakeholders, which is key to ensuring the successful completion of project-related agreements.
Background
BACKGROUND
The Project roadmap is comprised of the following parallel workstreams:
• Engineering - completing advanced preliminary engineering for the Hawthorne Alignment,
• Early Due Diligence (EDD) - addressing high risk items such as Caltrans approvals and encroachment permits, electrical transmission and other utility conflicts, commercial right-of-way acquisitions, unknown soil conditions, and third-party agreements, and
• LRT Project Delivery - analyzing potential phasing options to address current funding limitations and continuing to evaluate various contract delivery methods most beneficial to Metro.
A component of the EDD workstream will include a separate Board action to execute a contract modification to the environmental clearance and preliminary engineering design team, led by STV, Inc., to address additional environmental permitting requirements and high-risk elements of the project prior to construction. This contract modification will be prepared and submitted separately for approval by the Board in Spring 2026. While the STV, Inc. contract provides environmental and design services to support Metro’s efforts in meeting requirements to advance the project, the PMSS is also critical in enabling the project to transition seamlessly from planning and environmental clearance to implementation, as well as assisting Metro staff in delivering the project.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
Findings
To advance the delivery of the K-Line Extension to Torrance project, staff will need additional consultant support services to provide the following, which is included in the recommended PMSS contract:
• Manage the development of preliminary design
• Continue coordination and negotiations with critical third-parties such as utility owners, BNSF Railway (BNSF), Caltrans, Army Corps of Engineers, local municipalities, and the California Public Utilities Commission
• Provide program and construction management support services of the upcoming Progressive Design Build (PDB) early works procurements consisting of utility adjustments, freight relocation, grade crossings, and early civil work
• Provide procurement support for upcoming Light Rail Transit (LRT) contract after selection of contract delivery method
• Provide program and construction management support services for the upcoming Light Rail Transit (LRT) procurement consisting of track installation, station construction, and systems construction/testing.
•
In particular, cost estimating and negotiations support with the PDB contractor will be critical as staff establish strategies to ensure successful negotiations and bring costs down.
Considerations
Staff will return to the Board for award of a PDB contract for utility adjustment, freight realignment, grade crossings, and early civil works, tentatively planned for Board action in 2029.
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
There is no impact to safety.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The FY26 budget contains $43,539,701 in Cost Center 8510 (Program Management), Project 860304 for PMSS professional services. Since this is a multi-year contract, the Project Manager and Chief Program Management Officer will be responsible for budgeting in future years.
Impact to Budget
Currently, the funds for this action are provided by Measure M 35%, which is not an operating eligible fund. No other funding sources are considered for this effort.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
This Project will benefit communities through the addition of a new high-quality reliable light rail transit which will increase mobility and connectivity for the historically under-served and transit- dependent communities along the corridor. Approval of the contract will allow staff to advance the project The Diversity & Economic Opportunity Department (DEOD) recommended a 17% Small Business Enterprise (SBE) goal and a 3% Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) goal for this procurement; the recommended firm exceeded this goal by making a 25.79% SBE and a 3.12% DVBE commitment.
The Project will connect the South Bay with the rest of the Metro Rail network, increasing access to employment, education, housing, and regional centers, serving many EFCs along the C and K Lines, including those in communities such as Hawthorne, Gardena, West Carson, and Inglewood where close to 50% of the population is low-income. The 2022 Metro Customer Satisfaction Survey shows that 73% of existing C Line riders come from very low-income households and 74% do not have access to an automobile for trips. Four out of five C Line riders identify as black, indigenous, and/or people of color. Given the South Bay is home to many jobs and schools, expanding access to historically underserved communities helps expand economic mobility.
Based on Metro’s 2022 Equity Focus Community data, only a small portion of Lawndale is considered an EFC. To better understand the communities within walking distance to proposed stations, Metro analyzed household income, car ownership, and demographics and found that 20% to 39.9% are low-income, 3% to 6% do not have access to vehicles, and 50% to 79% of the population is non-white for census tracts within a half-mile of the South Bay Galleria Station. The Torrance Transit Center would serve census tracts where 10% to 19% of households are low-income, 20% to 49% are non-white, and 6% to 9% do not have access to a vehicle. The South Bay Galleria Station on Hawthorne Blvd would connect to planned mixed-use development with housing, and the Torrance Transit Center rail station would connect to the City’s bus transit centers in Torrance, providing a convenient and reliable transit option for communities with higher mobility needs.
During the environmental review process, Metro circulated materials and notices in English and Spanish, the predominant languages in the area, and held pop-up events at community events to increase awareness of the Project and engage groups who do not typically participate in community meetings. As part of the release of the Final EIR, Metro partnered with seven CBOs to raise project awareness and share project information with community members prior to the Metro Board taking an action on the project.
Vehicle_Miles_Traveled _Outcome
VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED OUTCOME
VMT and VMT per capita in Los Angeles County are lower than national averages, the lowest in the SCAG region, and on the lower end of VMT per capita statewide, with these declining VMT trends due in part to Metro’s significant investment in rail and bus transit.* Metro’s Board-adopted VMT reduction targets align with California’s statewide climate goals, including achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. To ensure continued progress, all Board items are assessed for their potential impact on VMT.
As part of these ongoing efforts, this item is expected to contribute to further reductions in VMT.
This project supports Metro’s systemwide strategy to reduce VMT through planning activities that will improve and further encourage transit ridership, ridesharing, and active transportation. Metro’s Board-adopted VMT reduction targets were designed to build on the success of existing investments, and this item aligns with those objectives.
Metro conducted a preliminary analysis to show that the net effect of this project is to decrease VMT. The Draft EIR identifies that the project would help reduce auto use by approximately 43,094 VMT per day. This would help the region meet climate change goals by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and regional energy use.
*Based on population estimates from the United States Census and VMT estimates from Caltrans’ Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) data between 2001-2019.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
The Project supports the following strategic plan goals identified in Vision 2028:
Goal 1: Provide high-quality mobility options that enable people to spend less time traveling
Goal 3: Enhance communities and lives through mobility and access to opportunity
Goal 5: Provide responsive, accountable, and trustworthy governance within the Metro organization.
As one of Program Management’s Strategic Initiatives, Metro has a continued focus on developing in-house personnel and hiring experienced staff to deliver large complex projects and is working toward achieving a 50/50 consultant to Metro staff ratio.
The PMSS contract is required to supply the necessary resources to advance and develop the K-Line South Extension to Torrance project. Metro’s Program Management department will undertake a market analysis to evaluate Metro’s capabilities to bring the right talent in-house. As the project progresses through its phases, Metro will assess core management competencies of construction, engineering, quality, schedule, budget, and third-party managers to be maintained in house while supplementing these with specialist resources from the PMSS team. Staffing plans will be reviewed regularly to ensure a balance between consultant and Metro staff. Project leadership will continue to focus on filling open positions within the project’s organization and utilize consultants where necessary to successfully deliver the project
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
The Board could choose not to approve the contract award. Delaying this contract award to a future date would pose significant delays to the overall project schedule and risk that the project would be unable to meet its Measure M schedule.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Upon Board approval, staff will execute Contract No. AE130368000 with Hill International, Inc. for Program Management Support Services. These activities are needed to continue advancing the Project per Board direction.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Procurement Summary
Attachment B - DEOD Summary
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Michael Harrington, Executive Officer, Program Management, (213) 379-1455
Mat Antonelli, Deputy Chief Program Management Officer, (213)893 -7114
Tashai Smith, Executive Officer, Diversity & Economic Opportunity Department, (213) 922-2128
Carolina Coppolo, Deputy Chief Vendor/Contract Management Officer, (213) 922-4471
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Tim Lindholm, Chief Program Management Officer, (213) 922-7297
