Team to prep corridor for $8.6B Southeast Gateway Line linking Artesia to downtown LA

A joint venture between Herzog and FlatironDragados has secured a $997 million contract to perform early construction work on the Southeast Gateway Line, a major light rail project intended to connect southeast Los Angeles County to the city’s downtown core.

The Southeast Gateway Line will span 14.5 miles of double track and include nine new stations between Artesia, California, and the Slauson/A Line Station. While this phase will lay the groundwork, a future extension not included in this contract will eventually carry passengers into downtown Los Angeles.

According to an April 3 news release from Herzog, based in Saint Joseph, Missouri, the JV will carry out the early enabling portion of the project.

WSP is serving as the lead environmental and design consultant, the Montreal-headquartered firm announced in a February 2025 release.

The project, expected to cost at least $8.6 billion in total, is being delivered via the Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) model, Herzog said. Scope includes extensive utility and freight track relocation along the project’s 14.5-mile right-of-way, including 8.7 miles of freight rail in a shared-use corridor with Union Pacific Railroad and the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

The freight relocation portion entails building 52,000 feet of new mainline track, 26 at-grade crossings, and temporary shoofly tracks to allow freight operations to continue during construction, according to Herzog. Crews will also modify 571 utilities throughout the corridor, including water, sewer, and storm drain systems.

Key structures to be built include the elevated Firestone Metro Station, a vehicle access structure under the Union Pacific freight line, and a pedestrian bridge near Paramount High School for safe crossing over the UPRR tracks, Herzog stated.

Other elements of the contract involve installing 12,000 linear feet of retaining and sound walls, site demolition and clearance, and hazardous soil remediation.

The California State Transportation Agency awarded the project a $231 million grant through its Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program in 2024, per the project’s website. Still, LA Metro has voiced concerns over potential federal funding cuts under the Trump administration, according to the Press-Telegram.

Preconstruction and early works — including hazmat abatement, demolition, and utility relocations — are scheduled for 2025 and 2026, Herzog reported. Major construction is set to begin in 2027, with an anticipated completion date of 2030. The full line is expected to open by 2035, according to the project website.

Originally reported by Julie Strupp in Construction Dive.