Ten Minutes With Victor Hernandez—Young Engineer Molds His Career on Major LA Projects
Hernandez has risen to assistant project manager on the estimated $9.5B Los Angeles Metro D Line project, with work pictured here.
Victor Hernandez is an assistant project manager for Skanska with over a decade of experience in civil construction. He began his career through its Core Competency Training Program after earning a civil engineering degree from University of California-Irvine, working his way up from field engineer to his current role on the estimated $9.5-billion Westside Purple Line [rail] Extension (now called the D Line) in Los Angeles, as part of the Section 1 contractor's joint venture with Shea and Traylor Brothers. Hernandez has managed construction operations across multiple underground stations, including Fairfax, La Brea and La Cienega—part of one of the city’s most geologically complex transit projects. His technical expertise includes deep excavations and shoring systems, heavy concrete construction, MEP, systems build-out, architectural finishes and civil restoration. This interview with Aileen Cho, ENR deputy editor for infrastructure, was edited for clarity.
ENR: What is your origin story?
Hernandez: I didn’t know too much about the industry until I met Skanska managers at a job fair, where it was showing off its MetLife Stadium construction project. I like football!
Victor Hernandez
They promoted themselves really well. I probably would have joined a design firm otherwise. But [Skanska] was talking about the construction industry and about actually doing these projects.
I joined Skanska's Core Competency training program, a two-year program for new graduates. Every four months you would rotate to a different part of the company—cost controls, field engineering, safety. You get to see every department. I worked on the LA Metro Regional Connector, and then on Purple Line in its estimating office. There, Skanska had its own design group focusing just on falsework for concrete and supporting excavation. Four months is just long enough to show what [that department] is about, while leaving you wanting more.
Which were your favorite rotations?
The field side appealed to me. Field engineering and assistant superintendent—those were my favorites. I like being out in the field, seeing day-to-day operations. I’m a hands-on person. I need to see it, feel it. I started as a field engineer for the Purple Line. Over time, I became a project engineer managing construction of three stations.
What were some challenges?
We were right next to the [La Brea] tar pits. Fairfax Station is where I first started working as a field engineer. It had the most tar-impacted soils. It was pretty insane, the stuff we took out of there. Crane mats, all kinds of things [were used] to make the ground stable enough. The smell was crazy. Every time I went back to the office, people could smell me before they could see me.
What was it like working on a joint venture with other contractors?
To be honest, it was hard to tell who was Traylor Brothers, Shea or Skanska. Some of my best friends are from [Traylor and Shea]. One was my roommate for a couple years after.
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Now that the Purple Line project has finished, what are you working on now?
I transferred to the [Los Angeles International Airport] people mover project. I'm just learning about it. The people mover was in preconstruction for about two years and is scheduled to be a five-year job.
You don’t feel ten years go by. The whole time, it's been an exciting learning experience. Every couple of years, the job changed—excavation, heavy concrete, then buildout of rooms, electrical and pulling cables. I was learning something new every [time].
What advice do you have for people entering the industry?
Be curious. As a young engineer, if you come into the industry, you might be intimidated. There are a lot of members of older generations—talk to them. You learn a lot. See how they do things. Take that info and use it as we progress in our careers. It's a rewarding job. Demanding for sure, but definitely worth it.
