Digging to begin in few weeks for exploratory shaft for Purple Line Extension project

Photo by Metro.

Photo by Metro.

Activity continues to ramp up on the southwest corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Ogden Drive, where Metro will soon be digging an exploratory shaft for the Purple Line Extension project. The site is located directly opposite LACMA, as the above photo shows.

Metro took possession of the site on April 1 and is prepping the area and bringing in equipment in order to begin drilling around June 1. The shaft will be approximately 40 feet by 20 feet and 75 feet deep.  Once drilling begins, it should take about six months to reach that depth with work occurring between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. from Monday through Friday.

The exploratory shaft will be used to gather more data about geologic and soil conditions in the area. The first phase of the subway project will run for 3.9 miles from the current Wilshire/Western station to Wilshire/La Cienega.

The current schedule has tunneling beginning in 2015 with the segment opening to the public in late 2022. The project is funded by the Measure R sales tax increase approved by L.A. County voters in 2008 and is seeking matching funds from the federal government’s New Starts program that helps local transit agencies build large and pricey projects.

Related Source posts: 

President Obama’s budget calls for $130 million for two Metro projects: Purple Line Extension and Regional Connector 

Westside Subway Extension gets a new official name: Purple Line Extension

This photo explains why Metro is building the Westside/Purple Line Extension