The Exposition Light Rail Transit Phase 2 in West Los Angeles is a textbook case in how to maneuver through major city arteries, say Best Projects judges. With seven stations, three park-and-ride lots, miles of above- and below-grade infrastructure and a 1,200-ft-long bridge, the project required extensive vehicle and pedestrian traffic planning as it cut through a busy urban location.

To get the 6.6-mile-long rail line from Los Angeles to Santa Monica and back, the project team mapped through a complicated jumble of utilities beneath the city. One of many innovative techniques employed was hydro-vacuum excavation. Utilizing pressurized water and a vacuum, the team cut 6,300 ft of 6-ft-deep by 9-in.-wide trenches without damaging any of the hundreds of buried cables and utility pipe that became exposed.

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