LA Metro advances Purple Line subway extension

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 4/6/2020 Rail News: Passenger Rail
Pictured: LA Metro contracted crews preparing a wall form for a concrete pour inside the Wilshire/La Cienega Station.Photo – LA Metro

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) last week announced construction milestones on the Purple Line subway extension project to connect riders between downtown Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and Westwood, California.

Construction on the Wilshire/La Brea Station passed the half-way mark to completion. The Wilshire/Fairfax and Wilshire/La Cienega stations are 41 percent and 29 percent completed, respectively.

Meanwhile, two boring machines are being used to create tunnels between the La Brea and Fairfax stations. The first machine has bored 88 percent of the north tunnel, and the second machine has bored 67 percent of the south tunnel, LA Metro officials said in a project update newsletter.

On March 31, the Beverly Hills City Council also approved a one-to-three month closure of Wilshire Boulevard so that LA Metro’s contractor can bring in additional equipment to expedite completion of piling on the south side of the road.  

The temporary closure is possible by reduced traffic on the road during California’s stay-at-home order, agency officials said.