The joint venture of C.A. Rasmussen Inc., the managing partner, and FBD Vanguard Construction Inc. began work on the California Department of Transportation's (Caltrans) $143.7 million Interstate 405 Sepulveda Pass Pavement Rehabilitation Project on June 16, 2025.
The project is designed to improve safety and mobility on a 10.2-mi. stretch of I-405 between the Los Angeles communities of Van Nuys and Westwood along the Sepulveda Pass.
Caltrans photo
Night operations started on June 24. The JV aims to complete the project in the winter of 2028-2029 based on a scheduled completion date of Aug. 19, 2027, followed by a 250-day plant establishment period.
The federal aid project is replacing sections of two lanes in each direction from Victory Boulevard to Mulholland Drive; repairing sections of other lanes along the primary corridor between West Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley; restoring/replacing two overhead sign structures; replacing 98 sign panels; and upgrading 6,400 ft. of metal beam guardrail and nine curb ramps.
Matthew Osborne, C.A. Rasmussen's project manager, said that the project includes more than 6 mi. of concrete pavement lane replacements, 45 individual slab replacement locations, 564,000 sq. yds. of existing concrete pavement grinding, 47,000 tons of HMA leveling course and 56,000 tons of RHMA cap.
"We are rehabilitating the primary corridor between West Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley — a route that experiences heavy, continuous traffic while serving crucial commuter and commercial needs, including access to the Los Angeles International Airport," said Lauren Walike, a Caltrans public information officer. "[In addition to] improving the safety and mobility along I-405, [it] sustainably extends the pavement life. [The work will] result in the restoration of nearly 92 lane-miles overall. Additionally, [the new] roadside sign panels will improve wayfinding."
The job went out to bid in September 2024 and was awarded in March 2025.
"This section of the I-405 is one of the heaviest-traveled corridors in California," Osborne said. "As such, the roadway has been deteriorating in several areas, resulting in cracking and rutting in the existing pavement."
"Other than the heavy traffic, the other challenges of this project will be 22 extended weekend closures where a large portion of the entire project's work will take place," Osbourne said. "Extensive planning and resources will be required to accomplish this."
The JV is dealing with both concrete and asphalt lanes.
Caltrans photo
Crews installed K-rail barriers on June 24 along I-405 through the Sepulveda Pass. Night work, which involves lane closures, should run from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. with at least two lanes remaining open.
To expedite construction, there will be 20 to 25 55-hour extended weekend partial closures.
The JV has a sizable construction yard. Vanguard set up a concrete batch plant within it.
"On regular workdays, no major trucking activities are anticipated between 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.," Walike said. "The contractors will have intermittent traffic lookouts while accessing the yard to ensure safety of workers and motorists.
"Nearby areas can expect noise sources, including backup alarms and truck activity. The contractors will comply with the Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan and implement dust control and street sweeping as needed. It may set up a batch plant to produce aggregates and/or concrete."
Crews operated in the Sepulveda Pass area of I-405 for about six weeks in anticipation of the first extended weekend closure.
At this point, the JV has completed several lanes between Sunset and Wilshire boulevards. Over the next six months, crews will cover between Mulholland Drive and Wilshire Boulevard.
The overall work job is not without its challenges.
"This project is using a barrier transfer machine — a road dipper machine — that transplants a barrier into a live lane," Osborne said. "We're using it for the 55-hour lane closures. It is pretty new to the industry and something we have not used before. We‘re getting the hang of it now. This system picks up 40-inch pieces of barrier and places them laterally up to 18 feet without the use of a crane.
"It has been used in a couple of major cities, such as the George Washington Bridge in New York City, to open up southbound and northbound lanes during the day. They have been used in San Diego as well. It is definitely easier and faster to set than standard K-rail.
C.A. Rasmussen and Vanguard have partnered on previous projects.
Caltrans photo
"We just finished a project with them on I-605 with a similar project scope," said Osborne. "It went well."
Vanguard is responsible for the concrete pavement and the approach slabs.
"In August, we began the work on the approach slabs," Osborne said. "It will continue through December, and then we ‘ll move over to the other phase to start on the lane replacements."
The approach slab element uses operators with excavators for demolition and structural backfill.
The asphalt and concrete pavement repairs and replacement of sections of I-405 are ongoing.
"We‘re completing the paving during the extended weekend closures," said Osborne, "while Vanguard is working on the approach slabs with the movable barrier system when the road is closed. There are also nightly closures for asphalt paving, along with cold and base-course paving, insulation of the rubberized course and the HMA paving.
The existing concrete pavement being replaced will be excavated to a depth of 2.1 ft. and replaced with 0.7 ft. of class 3 base, 0.35 ft. of LCB-RSC, and 1.05 ft of JPCP-RSC. The new lanes are based on a JPCP-RCS, .75-in. WMA-SP and .75-in RHMA-G-SP.
The asphalt is being removed with a Wirtgen 200 cold milling machine. Concrete pavement will be removed with excavators.
The times for the concrete to cure and for the asphalt to settle vary.
Caltrans photo
For its paving operations, C.A. Rasmussen is using Hitachi 225 and CAT 345 excavators, a Roadtec paving machine and a Roadtec SB2500E shuttle buggy.
An additional aspect of the paving operation was the removal of two sections of Type 60 concrete barrier totaling 1,000 ft. This work was completed with a Cat 345 excavator with a hydraulic breaker.
The upgrading of the curb ramps will be a minor operation.
"They are all in the same locations, and the work will probably happen next spring," said Osborne. "It‘s just breaking the back with a breaker, grading and pouring them back."
The two overhead sign structures will be manufactured.
"They generally have a six-month lead time for structures of that size," Osborne said.
The upgrading of the guardrail is scheduled for later in the project and should take about two months.
Weekend closures have 30 Rasmussen, 20 Vanguard and 10 subcontractor personnel on site. C.A. Rasmussen has hired close to 20 subcontractors.
Regarding recycling, the milled asphalt concrete will be sent to the asphalt plant to be recycled and reused in the production of HMA/RHMA.
CA Rasmussen has a large fleet, but this type of project can take a toll on equipment.
"We have a 24/7 mechanic on call," Rasmussen said. "A lot of the wear and tear is mainly cutting edges and teeth on excavators, and then the hydraulic hoses on the breakers that experience a lot of pressure. "We have our maintenance division that handles all of our equipment repairs. They‘ve been at it for a long time."
C.A. Rasmussen rents much of its equipment from Sunbelt Rentals and buys machinery from Coastline Equipment. CEG
