Construction workers paving cement at Third and Indiana streets.
(photo by Christine Trang)

Workers dug up concrete at these three locations, but the Metropolitan Transportation Authority still hopes to open the line sometime before the December deadline noted in federal grant documents.

Marc Littman, Metro's deputy executive officer for media relations, said it is unclear whether his agency or the contractor, Eastside Light Rail Transit Contractors, will have to pay the repair bill.

Although Littman did not know the exact locations, major construction was evident last week  along Third and Indiana Streets. Traffic was almost unbearable and parking spots hard to find through all of the "Open Trench" construction signs and blocked-off streets. Construction workers held up signs to guide traffic.

The MTA "did not blow its budget" after these issues with electrical leakage, Littman said, but the damage cost and how long it took to complete the process is unknown. The contractor could not be reached for comment.

Littman explained what inspectors found during routine testing.

"As I understand it, the oxide from the curb-side paint affected the wiring, leading to electrical leakage," Littman said. "Concrete was torn up in three separate locations, so workers had to put in liner, paint the concrete tops and then seal the interlocks again."

He described what could be a drawn-out process to determine who is responsible for the repair bill.

"When you have a construction project of this magnitude, there is literally an army of people working," Littman said. "Some of these issues are covered through warranty, and some are not. A lot of these issues, though, are not even resolved until after the rail is open. If there is no solid agreement, you have to go into dispute resolution and sometimes solve things in court."

Metro never formally announced an official opening date, but a summer debut for the light-rail line was the buzz inside Metro and in the media. A Los Angeles Times article in March documented the issues that local business owners experienced during the construction, including "blocked traffic and eliminated parking spots," and said the line would open in June.

Although Metro pushed back the extension's opening date, daily transit users and local residents did not appear distressed or inconvenienced. Roxane Marquez, senior legislative and press deputy for Los Angeles County Supervisor and Metro board member Gloria Molina, said that her office "did not receive any complaints from anyone about a supposed 'delay' in the line's opening."

In fact, Rachel Santos, a long-time resident of East Los Angeles, eagerly awaits the opening of the Eastside Extension, no matter when it opens.

"This is a big deal to me, not only because my family worked in this industry for so many years," Santos said, "but also because it makes us feel that the government cares about our side of the city, and that we are not being ignored."

Despite the issues with electrical leakage, Littman is confident that the rail system will be open to the public sometime before the December deadline.

"The federal government gives us what is called a Full Funding Grant Agreement," Littman said. "They put into the agreement when we will commit to opening the Gold Line extension, and that date is listed as December 2009."

Metro will continue to run tests to check for additional electrical leakage, as well as other problems that may arise with the rail system.

"A stress test will possibly run at some point next week," Littman said. "This two-week test means that we run the train all day, back and forth, so that we can see if everything runs smoothly. Once they complete the stress test, they will start what is called pre-revenue service. This is when the operators run the trains as if they are on schedule, but with no passengers."