Reshaping mobility in and around Los Angeles
From an audacious five-year-old aspiring to become a transportation entrepreneur, to being deeply involved in enhancing the fabric of Los Angeles’ infrastructure, Andrew Liu, senior vice president and regional business line leader, U.S. West Transportation, shares about his lifelong passion for shaping the future of transportation and the immense potential he sees in the next generation of leaders emerging from the vibrant city.
With more than 20 years of transportation industry experience, I am a licensed civil and geotechnical engineer in the State of California. I received my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering at UCLA, and my MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Los Angeles-grown, my ever-present entrepreneurial spirit’s defining moment took place when I was five years old. I designed a vehicle that would combine the swagger of a racecar and the convenience of a passenger van. Though the outcome of a modern minivan was not my doing, these aspirations proved inspirational while studying civil engineering and eventually entering the transportation industry.
Now, I focus on all modes of transportation: highways and bridges, transit, airports, ports and goods movement, and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) with an emphasis on large-scale infrastructure on the West Coast. Additionally, I’ve kickstarted a ventures team at AECOM with my colleagues and co-founded a transportation startup in the advanced mobility arena.
Growing up in L.A., I’ve witnessed transportation evolve over time in the city. I experienced the first L.A. Metro light rail being built in Southern California and now look towards solving challenges surrounding mobility for all of L.A.’s residents and visitors.
While planning for the future of transportation, I see one of the biggest challenges in transportation as the abundance of infrastructure work in comparison to the supply of engineers and planners. Relying on incoming and future generations in the engineering and transportation fields will be vital for future success.
There is a lot of new infrastructure being developed in Los Angeles and a lot of change in how we deliver these solutions. Most of these new technologies and techniques are being pioneered here in L.A., which is a breeding ground for innovation. I’m excited about the next generation of infrastructure leaders that will come out of Los Angeles. There is a very dynamic ecosystem in L.A. and renowned educational programs filled with diverse, progressive thinking.
My optimism about the future of L.A. can be tangibly seen through a few of the projects that I’ve been involved with over the past two decades including the L.A. Metro Regional Connector project, LAWA Tom Bradley International Terminal expansion, and the hyperloop test track for SpaceX. Regional Connector is a 2.5-mile-long subway that just opened this year, creating smoother, faster, transfer-free rides through LA’s downtown core. This line allows me to take the train from my house to work now with no transfers. The Los Angeles World Airports LAX Tom Bradley International Terminal A380 Airbus Expansion I worked on over a decade ago included new taxiways, aprons and runways to accommodate the then new iconic wide-body airliner for the second busiest airport in the U.S. I had the opportunity to ride A380 airplane a few times on international travels for AECOM and remember the heavy loading I had never seen in my life when we were designing pavements. Finally, the SpaceX Hyperloop Test Track is the world’s first hyperloop test track for Elon Musk and SpaceX. AECOM took what was originally a design request, educated the client on alternative delivery methods, and ended up delivering the entire project as the design-builder. Educating traditional and new clients on the expertise AECOM has to offer is one of the proudest things about my job. It is an added bonus when the clients are some of the world’s most renowned entrepreneurs and the projects are in my hometown of Los Angeles.