He Takes the Heat, He Needs the Tools : White wants tighter control over rail projects

With billions of dollars going into subway and rail construction projects in Los Angeles, how can we ensure that the public is getting a first-rate system, one that is safe and cost-effective?

That’s undeniably the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s responsibility. The development of serious problems in subway construction, including tunnel walls built thinner than designed and leaks of potentially hazardous gases, signals the need for the MTA to provide better accountability and oversight for the nation’s largest public works project.

The current structure of the MTA obscures accountability. Without a change, public confidence and the very credibility of the MTA and its transportation system could suffer, both locally and nationally. Already federal authorities are investigating the tunnel problems. The MTA board of directors must take action and support the recent moves by the agency’s chief executive officer, Franklin White.

To secure tighter control over subway and rail projects, White has hired Jerry B. Baxter, a Caltrans veteran, to review how the MTA designs, builds and monitors the transit projects. In addition, White has proposed to dissolve the Rail Construction Corp., a subsidiary agency of the MTA, which in 1990 assumed authority over rail construction held by the Southern California Rapid Transit District when it was merged with the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission.

The RCC has its own board of political appointees who recommend contract awards and changes to the MTA. The RCC also has quality control oversight and monitoring responsibilities; so why has it come under fire recently for problems of construction quality and cost overruns? An accountability problem perhaps? After the first tunnel problems surfaced, White ordered an outside review, which did find some problems in construction management.

White acknowledges that a revamp does not guarantee that the rest of the Metro Rail construction will be problem-free. But, as head of the MTA, he is reasonably asking that the lines of responsibility at least be made clear-cut. No other city has found it necessary to use a similarly structured unit to oversee transit construction. Indeed, the RCC structure appears to dilute and obscure accountability rather than enhance it.

The MTA board has put off a vote on the RCC proposal until next month, partly at the request of Mayor Richard Riordan and City Councilman Richard Alatorre, who were unable to attend the MTA meeting this week. The mayor, with his three appointees to the MTA board, can and should play a pivotal role in supporting White’s RCC proposal to help create a world-class transit system in Los Angeles.