Hathaway Dinwiddie, AECOM Hunt start $270M Los Angeles Coliseum overhaul

Dive Brief:

AECOM Hunt and Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction, acting as a joint venture, are performing site, pier and demolition work at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in preparation for a $270 million renovation of the iconic sports venue, according to Engineering News-Record.
The construction process will preserve the Coliseum's landmark status and familiar appearance but will upgrade the stadium with new mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems; all new seats to give fans extra legroom; new a new press box and new box seats, lounges and concession stands; renovated concourses; and new audio, video and Wi-Fi systems. The joint venture will also restore the column, archway, travertine limestone tiles and decorative mural that are part of the Coliseum's signature Peristyle.
Beginning in August 2019, the venue will be known as the United Airlines Memorial Coliseum under a $69 million, 16-year naming-rights deal with the venue's operator, the University of Southern California (USC), according to Curbed Los Angeles. The agreement, according to Curbed, will help USC pay for the renovations and ready the Coliseum to host athletic events and the closing ceremony for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

Dive Insight:

The Coliseum is not the only Los Angeles project underway in preparation for the 2028 Summer Games. In November, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced 28 regional transportation projects that the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) planned to complete in time for the Olympics. The "28 by 28" initiative includes a wide variety of projects, including those related to light rail, rapid bus transit and highway.

Measure M, a Los Angeles County tax dedicated to funding transportation, will help pay for 16 of the projects, as will Measure R, a sales tax earmarked for transit, according to Urbanize LA. Measure M alone is expected to generate $860 million each year.

One of the 16 projects that will benefit from Measure M is the $1.5 billion Foothill Gold Line light rail extension, which Metro broke ground on at the end of last year. The new line, which will connect Los Angeles to San Bernardino County, is expected to create nearly 17,000 jobs and about $40 million in tax revenue for Los Angeles County. In addition to easing transportation congestion around the area when the Olympics come to town, officials anticipate the line will generate $2.6 billion in economic output for Los Angeles County.

Another major transportation project scheduled for completion before the Olympic Games is the approximately $8 billion, nine-mile, three-phase Purple Line subway extension. The first phase, according to the Metro, is under construction and is expected to be complete in 2023. The $2.5 billion second phase got underway last month, and the third phase's schedule is pending while the Metro endeavors to obtain federal funding.