Photos by Expo Line Fan, via submission

A couple of nice views of the work-in-progress bridges. The top is the new bridge that will be adjacent to the Palms station. The bottom photo shows the bridge that will carry the Expo Line over Cloverfield and Olympic boulevards in Santa Monica. As the top photo shows, it’s starting to look more and more like an actual bridge.

Check out more construction photos on Expo Line Fan’s Flickr stream.

UPDATE, 3:15 p.m.: Power restored to all stations except Soto. Bus shuttles now running between Mariachi Plaza and Indiana. Please follow announcements.

Bus shuttles will be replacing the Gold Line between Pico/Aliso station and the Maravilla station. Expect delays.

Service alerts will be posted to metro.net and Metro’s Twitter account.

A short section of the northbound San Diego (405) Freeway, between the Santa Monica Boulevard on-ramp and the Santa Monica Boulevard off-ramp will be closed tonight and tomorrow night, Friday, May 17, and Saturday, May 18, from 11 p.m. to 9 a.m. Motorists traveling north will be able to exit the northbound freeway at Santa Monica, go straight through the traffic light and re-enter the freeway on the Santa Monica on-ramp. Because of the full northbound freeway closure, motorists are advised to avoid the area during that time period, as well as directly before and after.

The contractor will continue to repair the approach slab at the connection between the I-405 freeway and the Santa Monica off-ramp. Similar work was completed last weekend.

• Northbound Santa Monica Boulevard off- and on-ramps will remain open.
• Detour: Exit northbound at the Santa Monica Boulevard off-ramp, go straight through traffic light and enter the Santa Monica Boulevard on-ramp.
• Traffic control officers will be deployed.
• CHP will be monitoring the area surrounding the closure.

The following will be closed during the 10-hour time period:

• Northbound Olympic Boulevard on-ramp
• Santa Monica Boulevard from Sawtelle Boulevard to Sepulveda Boulevard
• I-10 west connector to northbound I-405
• I-10 east connector to northbound I-405

What to expect:

• Construction schedule is subject to change based on daily progress and field conditions.
• Notification of ramp closures will be provided on a daily basis through the PM Closure e-mail notices. Subscribe to daily e-mail alerts at www.metro.net/405.
• For a listing of daily closures and latest updates visit our website at www.metro.net/405 or follow us on twitter: www.twitter.com/I_405  and Facebook at www.facebook.com/405project

L.A. Philharmonic concerned about potential subway noise (L.A. Times)

The story reports on the ongoing process by Metro to protect the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Colburn School from any noise from Regional Connector trains that will pass under or near the buildings. Metro CEO Art Leahy told the Times that the Regional Connector is being designed to have zero net impact on acoustics at either building.

Two other points to add: Metro has hired Rick Talaske, a renowned acoustic engineering consultant, to assist with the Regional Connector project. And, the project will not go out to bid until appropriate sound levels for trains are determined. In other words, the construction firm or firms that wins the contract to build the Regional Connector will have to build the project to the sound standards mandated by Metro and agreed upon with both the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Colburn School.

Orange crush (ZevWeb) 

Very good story on crowing on the Orange Line busway, particularly at peak hours. Excerpt:

While improvements are planned to handle the growth in ridership during off-peak hours, rush hour is a different story.  One additional bus trip will be squeezed onto the back end of the peak traffic period but, after that, the agency is just about maxed out on how many buses it can run at a time. Among other issues, the line is constrained at intersections with north-south roadways, which are managed by the city of Los Angeles’ Department of Transportation.

“Running buses every 4 minutes during rush hour is the best we can do under the current traffic configuration,” Hillmer said. “The city is reluctant to go below the 4-minute frequency level.”

Jonathan Hui, a spokesman for the city agency, said it allows buses to pass through the intersections every two minutes, but they only get special priority—early or longer green lights—every four minutes. That preferential treatment is important to keep the line moving swiftly.

“Not everybody can get the green at the same time,” Hui said. “The Orange Line is obviously important, but so are drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists.”

The two agencies are currently working on a solution to the problem. Hillmer said possibilities include sending two buses in tandem through intersections, or shortening the length of the green lights the buses get, which could enable more of them to get through.

Is future baseline the baseline of the future? (Thomas Law Group) 

A good look at the legal arguments in the Neighbors for Smart Rail versus Expo Line Construction Authority case made earlier this month before the California Supreme Court. In the case, Neighbors for Smart Rail (which wants the train to go underground in the Cheviot Hills and Rancho Park area) is challenging the EIR for the second phase of the Expo Line project, saying it was improper for the Construction Authority to use future traffic conditions as the baseline for determining the train’s impacts. The Authority argued using future conditions is a better way to gauge the real impacts.

According to the blog, four Justices seemed receptive to Neighbors for Smart Rail’s arguments, another Justice seemed to favor the Construction Authority’s stance and two other Justices didn’t say anything during the hearing. A ruling is expected within 90 days. With construction of the project underway, it remains to be seen if an unfavorable ruling would impact work — or whether the Court just wants to clarify how agencies should handle the baseline issue in future EIRs.

Don’t miss Bike Night! Photo from Hammer Museum Official Facebook.

Get out and about with your bike this weekend and take advantage of some special Metro discounts! Just mention “Bike Week” to save.

Tonight is Bike Night at the Hammer Museum. Celebrate all things bicycle, have your portrait taken with your faithful two-wheeled ride and enjoy plenty of other free activities. The Hammer’s North entrance on Lindbrook Drive will be wide open to bicyclists who want to ride right in and park at our guarded racks (but please bring a lock). Bike Night will take place from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Feel like checking out the museum on another day? Go Metro and save $5 on admission. (Metro Rapid 720 or 761 to Wilshire/Westwood)

For great food and drink, head to Pasadena and enjoy the collaborative efforts of Kings Row Gastropub and Congregation Ale House this weekend. The two restaurants are teaming up to bring you some great pub dishes and prizes. Flash your TAP card to save some cash at Kings Row (offer excludes special promotions). The festival of drinks ends this Sunday, so get while the going is good. Both restaurants are open until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and until midnight on Sunday. (Metro Gold Line to Del Mar Station, Metro Rapid 780 and Bus 256 also serve the area, check Trip Planner for routes)

Bike to Long Beach to check out the new June Keyes Penguin Habitat at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Make sure to print out a coupon to save $2 on adult admission and $1 on child’s admission (valid this weekend only). The Aquarium is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. (Metro Blue Line to Long Beach Transit Mall)

Finally, this is the only weekend Hola Mexico Festival is in town, so squeeze in a film or two (between Star Trek: Into Darkness, who’s ready for Spock?).

The I-405 Sepulveda Pass Improvements Project contractor is scheduled to conduct a full northbound I-405 freeway closure from Santa Monica Boulevard to Wilshire Boulevard in West Los Angeles beginning Thursday night, May 16 2013 from 12 a.m. to 5 a.m.

The full northbound freeway closure is scheduled to conduct repaving and striping activities to facilitate widening of the roadway.

• Detour: Exit at the Santa Monica Boulevard off-ramp, right on Santa Monica Boulevard, left on Sepulveda Boulevard, right on Wilshire to the northbound I-405 on-ramp.

• CHP will be monitoring the area surrounding the closure.

What to expect:

• Construction schedule is subject to change based on daily progress and field conditions.

• Notification of ramp closures will be provided on a daily basis through the PM Closure e-mail notices. Subscribe to daily e-mail alerts at http://www.metro.net/405.​

• For a listing of daily closures and latest updates visit our website at www.metro.net/405 or follow us on twitter: www.twitter.com/I_405 and Facebook at www.facebook.com/405project

One of the three new stations for the Regional Connector project will be at 2nd and Hope Street. Due to the topography of downtown Los Angeles, that presents some challenges for future patrons: those exiting the station bound for Grand Avenue would have to walk uphill to reach the many attractions along Grand Avenue, including the front side of Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, MOCA, the Colburn School and the Broad, the new art museum that is presently under construction.

At the request of members of the Regional Connector Community Leadership Council’s 2nd/Hope Committee – a group of area residents and stakeholders interested in the Regional Connector project — Metro has developed a concept that would provide a direct connection from the new station to Grand Avenue.

Before I go any further, it’s important to understand that this proposed concept is not presently funded as part of the project. Metro intends to put the concept in the package going to construction firms interested in proposing to build the Regional Connector project as an option in order to determine the additional cost of the connection concept. The Contractor will price the connection concept as an option and will honor this price proposal for 180 days from the awarding of the contract. The funds related to this connection would need to come from contributions from the community. The Design/Build construction contract for the project is expected to be awarded around the end of this year.

With that caveat in mind, please flip through the above slide show. The first several renderings show the station as is planned. The entrance would be at 2nd/Hope and a series of elevators would take patrons 77 feet below street level to the station concourse.

Under the proposed concept that Metro has developed, a second level could be added to the station as well as a bridge over Hope Street, subject to community funding. In this concept, the elevators would stop both at ground level and at bridge level, 23 feet above Hope, at the same level as the proposed GTK Way Plaza deck.

The 2nd/Hope Committee will now have to begin to discuss ways to raise the funding to build this proposed connection. I personally think it’s a very intriguing idea that will make an already good project even better and even more attractive to potential riders.

Alhambra declares 710 day, reaffirming support for freeway extension (L.A. Times) 

Mark your calendars: the big day will be July 10 to show support for a tunnel that would connect the 710 from its terminus at Valley Boulevard to the 210 freeway in Pasadena. The current connection involves using city streets such as Fremont, Pasadena Avenue and Orange Grove that are also heavily residential. Metro is currently studying a project to help improve traffic in the area; the alternatives include a freeway tunnel, bus rapid transit, light rail, traffic signal and intersection improvements and the obligatory no-build option.

Mayoral candidate scorecard (Crenshaw Subway Coalition) 

The group advocating for a Leimert Park station and the undergrounding of the light rail line in Park Mesa Heights between 48th and 59th issues its grades on where L.A. mayoral candidates Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel stand on the two issues. Here is the news release and here are letters from the candidates.

It is worth noting (as the news release does) that it’s still possible that the Metro Board of Directors will select a firm to build the project before the next mayor takes office on July 1; otherwise the decision will be made when the next mayor will be on the Metro Board along with three appointees. Metro is seeking a firm that can build the Leimert Park station within the project’s existing $1.76-billion budget. The Leimert Park station is included in the project’s final environmental study that has been approved by the federal government; the 48th to 59th tunnel is not in the study, meaning the study or a part of it would have to be re-done.

Furthermore, while the candidates have similar views — there is some subtle differences in the language they employ — neither says where the hundreds of millions of dollars would come from to reopen the project’s environmental studies and then build the light rail line underground in Park Mesa Heights.

Portuguese car commercial goes Metro to slam transit riders (LA Streetsblog) 

Hmmm. How shall I spin this? I know–I’ll change the topic and use the video to remind everyone that eating ginormous hamburgers is prohibited on Metro trains and buses! Thank you for your cooperation and helping to keep our local transit system clean and tidy!

Want a subway extension? Here’s what you can look forward to! (LAObserved) 

The recent news that bids came in high to build stations for San Francisco’s Central Subway project lights the fuse at LAObserved with Mark Lacter predicting it’s inevitable to happen here with the Purple Line Extension. Lacter cites a 2003 study that found that rail projects around the world often go over budget.

Due to urgent track switch maintenance that must be completed on the Metro Blue Line, there will be limited train service between Willowbrook Station and Long Beach Transit Mall this Friday, May 17.

Starting at 9 p.m. until close of service, trains will only run every 30 minutes between Willowbrook Station and Long Beach Transit Mall. Announcements will be made at Blue Line stations, you can also follow real time alerts on Twitter or check Metro’s Service Advisories page. Please plan ahead and expect extended wait times if you need to travel that segment Friday night.

Regular Friday evening service will run between 7th/Metro and Willowbrook.