Helicopter “lifts” 4-ton cooling towers to the roof the the 27-story Metro HQ on Dec. 29. The second and final lift is set for Saturday morning. Photo by Josh Southwick.

Here’s the advisory from Metro:

Construction to restrict daytime access to the Patsaouras Transit Plaza and East Portal parking structure of Union Station on Saturday, Feb. 23.

• Plaza bus stops will be temporarily relocated nearby. Board FlyAway at Amtrak bus bay; Megabus on Alameda St. in front of Union Station
• Parking? Enter at Alameda Street entrance to park at Union Station.
• Cars and pedestrians may not enter or exit from the East Portal area underground parking structure during the closure.

Weather permitting: Construction to replace air-conditioning cooling towers on the highrise rooftop of the Metro Headquarters in downtown Los Angeles will restrict access to the Patsaouras Transit Plaza and parking structure at the East Portal entrance to Union Station from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23. Cesar Chavez Avenue and Vignes Street adjacent to the Metro Headquarters building will be closed to through traffic during that time.

Pedestrians, buses and other vehicles will not be allowed in or out of Patsaouras Plaza and the parking structure or the surrounding streets. All Metro and Metrolink rail service will run normal operations and schedule. The public is advised to use the Alameda Street entrance of Union Station to access the Metro Red, Purple, and Gold Lines and Metrolink and Amtrak trains between the hours of 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Feb. 23.

Passengers will need to approach the west end of Union Station rather than the east end Patsaouras Plaza for connections with any service that normally operates out of the East Portal (Metro bus lines, LAX FlyAway, Megabus and City of Commerce shuttle bus). Metro will have personnel in the tunnels to provide printed and verbal information on bus detours and alternate boarding locations.

Accomplished in two phases, a helicopter is used to bring the exisiting cooling towers down and lift the new cooling towers and related equipment onto the roof of the Metro Headquarters building.

To ensure safety during this work, the Federal Aviation Administration has required the closures of Pasaouras Plaza and  Vignes Street (from the 101 Freeway exit to Cesar E. Chavez Avenue) adjacent to the Metro Headquarters building. One eastbound lane of Cesar E. Chavez Avenue will also be closed, but the street will remain open to traffic and buses. Also closed to pedestrian and vehicle access are the Gateway parking garage, Patsaouras Plaza and the three Union Station tracks closest to the HeadquartersBuilding.

This lift will complete the cooling system maintenance. The first lift was conducted on Dec. 29. Despite the rain that continued thorughout the morning, the work was completed by noon ahead of schedule.

The following bus stop relocations will be in effect during the plaza closure:
• Line 40: Board southbound buses at regular stops south of Temple Street or take the Red or Purple Line to Civic Center Station and board at First Street and Broadway.
• Lines 68, 70, 71, 78, 79, 378, 770: board buses at regular stops at Alameda Street and Cesar E. Chavez Avenue west of Broadway.
• Line 704: Board westbound buses at regular stop on Cesar E. Chavez Avenue west of Broadway.
• Lines 733, 745: Board westbound buses at temporary stop on Temple Street west of Alameda Street.
• City of Commerce shuttle: Board at Line 40 regular stop on Alameda in front of Union Station.
• Megabus: Board at Line 40 regular stop on Alameda in front of Union Station.
• LAX FlyAway: Board at one of the Amtrak bus bays on the noth side of Union Station. Entrance is off of Cesar E. Chavez Avenue.