Eastside tunnel boring machine.

My how times flies when you’re under construction. Not really. But in this case, it’s surprising to note that it was just four years ago (Feb. 23, 2006) that tunneling began on the Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension. In a relatively short period of time, two tunnel boring machines dug out 1.7 miles of earth between Union Station and Boyle Heights and the entire 6-mile extension from Union Station east to Atlantic Boulevard was built. The underground tunnel segment was required because of the narrow streets in Boyle Heights. And now we have a brand new line, two beautiful underground stations at Mariachi Plaza and Soto and all kinds of great budget restaurants that are easy to acess via mass transit.