LASRE Partners with More than 30 LA Area Disadvantaged Small Businesses

LOS ANGELES - Sept. 29, 2021 - PRLog -- Demonstrating a very strong commitment to diversity and opportunity in the transportation sector, Los Angeles SkyRail Express (LASRE) is partnering with 33 Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBEs) as it performs pre-development work on an innovative monorail transportation solution for LA's traffic-congested Sepulveda Pass/405 Corridor between the San Fernando Valley, Westside, and ultimately LAX.

"Diversity and inclusion are core values for the LASRE team," said Teresa Maxwell, LASRE DBE Liaison Manager. "DBEs are an integral part of the team and the LASRE Academy workshops
and DBE mentoring plan demonstrate our commitment to including small minority and women- owned firms and supporting them throughout every phase of the project so they are
successful."

LASRE team members have worked on several such projects. For example, the Team's lead structural engineering firm, Innova, itself a certified DBE, has provided structural design services on new monorail systems under construction in some of the world's largest cities, including Bangkok, Cairo, and Sao Paulo. Further, BYD has extensive experience with such systems, including 14 contracted straddle type monorail and automated people mover systems in operation, construction, or planning, in both Asia and the Americas.

In addition, LASRE technology supplier BYD also is a member of two teams that have been short-listed to build advanced technology automated people mover projects on the East Coast. BYD is part of Liberty Integrated Connectors, a team vying to build, operate, and maintain a new AirTrain system at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey; and also is a member of The LaGuardia Connectors, a team vying to build, operate, and maintain an AirTrain system for New York's LaGuardia Airport.

Finally, LASRE's selected lead construction company, Skanska, has compiled a very strong track record of success in Los Angeles County, both as a builder of several of Metro's rail rapid transit lines, and as the builder of many Caltrans and local highway and bridge projects, employing thousands of local construction workers and many DBE firms.

Disclaimer

Because Metro has not completed a CEQA review, the information contained herein does not constitute or evidence an approval by Metro of, or commitment of Metro to, any action for which prior environmental review is required under CEQA. Metro retains the absolute sole discretion to make decisions under CEQA, which discretion includes, without limitation (i) deciding not to proceed with the Project (known as the "no build" alternative) and (ii) deciding to approve the Project. There will be no approval or commitment by Metro regarding the development of the Project, unless and until Metro, as the Lead Agency, and based upon information resulting from the CEQA environmental review process, considers the impacts of the Project.