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January 27, 2025

Project Manager of the Year

Thor Konradsson

Skanska

Konradsson

Thorvaldur “Thor” Konradsson served as project manager on Skanska’s Lynnwood Link Extension L300 - Northeast 200th Street to Lynnwood Transit Center Project (L300). The complex, $918M, GCCM, 3.7-mile light rail extension including two elevated stations, 2.3 miles of elevated guideway, 1.4 miles of at-grade guideway, and a 1,650-stall parking garage.

Konradsson has 35 years of experience in heavy civil construction including both U.S. and international experience in highway, transit, dam, tunnel, hydroelectric and fish passages. He has served in key leadership roles on various Skanska Northwest projects for 15 years.

On L300, Konradsson served as project manager responsible for overall project delivery. The project is complete and in closeout stage.

Konradsson led the project team through the COVID-19 pandemic and major concrete supply strike, finishing on time and on budget. When the pandemic hit, he demonstrated poise and leadership by working quickly to develop a safe work plan with procedures and safeguards that got crews safely back to work faster than any other public works project that was shut down by its customer. His swift action kept the job on schedule, people safe, and craft maintained steady income throughout.

When Konradsson’s customer encountered challenges to reach terms for a temporary construction easement on property occupied by the Edmonds School District — which would have delayed the project’s critical path — Konradsson stepped in to bridge the divide, working directly with a local designer and the school district to provide a solution that satisfied all parties.

The Lynnwood Link Program spanned 8 miles and was divided into 3 major contracts each managed by a different contractor, with Skanska holding the L300 contract. Recognizing the need for close collaboration between the three contractors, Konradsson led the efforts to develop a coordinated installation plan that identified key hand-over elements between the contractors. He ensured that egos were pushed to the side and contractors focused on doing what was best for the overall alignment. This ultimately led to an on-time project delivery without any claims or financial disputes between the different contracts.

Konradsson is a people-first leader. He focuses relentlessly on developing employees and diversifying their skillsets. He created rotational opportunities so staff could explore different roles, find their own strengths, and ultimately improve job satisfaction and work balance.

As the job neared conclusion, a change order was issued to improve the local streets surrounding the new Lynnwood Transit Center. It was of paramount importance to the community that the street and sidewalk improvements were finished in concert with the opening of the new line. Unfortunately, challenges between property owners and Skanska's customer resulted in several months of delay in property takes, putting the job behind schedule. Instead of accepting defeat, Konradsson rolled up his sleeves and worked with his superintendents and engineers to re-sequence the work, completing the city street improvements just in time for the light rail grand opening.


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