Kiewit responds to Gold Line suit

I received this e-mail last week, after our story detailing the MTA's suit against the builders of the Gold Line over alleged shoddy construction practices. It is from Kent Grisham, director of corporate communications for Kiewit, the construction company that, along with Pasadena-based Parsons Engineering is named among the defendants in the suit:

“We are still in the process of reviewing the filing, a copy of which was received only late Monday.  Because this matter is now in litigation, we will not be able to discuss any details publicly.  We are disappointed with the current situation because we believed we had a good relationship with the Gold Line Authority, including an open and cooperative dialogue and process to address issues as they arose.  This legal action has taken us by surprise.  While we disagree with the premise and need for the lawsuit, we also remain committed to resolving any legitimate remaining issues with the MTA Gold Line.”

According to the suit, Kiewit, Parsons and another company, Washington Infrastructure Corp. allegedly used poor construction materials, unqualified personnel and other shortcuts that have led to, among other things, "dangerous and unsafe conditions" along the downtown L.A.-to-Pasadena line. What those dangerous, unsafe conditions are exactly, and their supposed locations along the route, I can't really tell. There is no mention about specific locations or descriptions of the problem areas in the 118-page suit, and MTA officials refused to elaborate on the advice of the agency's lawyers.

So any professional engineers out there who might have an idea about where these alleged problems are, please send us a comment or e-mail. I'd love to find out more. Especially if they are in Pasadena or South Pasadena.