Purple Line Ext.’s latest update is online

Metro’s Construction Relations team for the Metro Purple Line Extension project provided its bimonthly community update at a meeting last night.

Inside the presentation — see above — are some interesting details about current and planned construction work, including new details on Metro’s upcoming pile drilling work at Wilshire and La Brea that precedes decking over the street.  Once street decking is in place, construction of the subway station can continue underneath. It’s the first heavy-duty construction work  for this station.

 

3 replies

  1. […] Metro presented its latest wrap-up of progress on the Purple Line subway extension at a community meeting last Thursday, September 17.  The presentation included details of current and planned construction work, including site preparation, pile drilling at Wilshire and La Brea, and the subsequent decking that will cover the street during construction of the underground station box.  Once the street decking is in place, according to Metro, construction of the subway station will continue underneath. For those who missed the meeting, the presentation is available to view and/or download at http://thesource.metro.net/2015/09/18/september-17-purple-line-extension-community-meeting-presentat… […]

  2. I wish it could be done much faster. I’ll probably be dead before the Westwood end is done. Couldn’t more of the work be done in parallel?

    • Could it? Yes! Will it? Maybe. The problem is that funding for the subway trickles in from sales tax from Measure R back in 2008. The project could get greatly accelerated with the same money up-front. For example, if Metro was able to take low-interest loans from the Feds against future tax revenue, the entire subway could have been built by 2020 or so.

      In 2012, measure J was floated which would have extended the measure R taxes out another 30 years. That would have allowed low-cost loans and all Measure R projects would have been finished in ten years (regional connector, Crenshaw line to LAX, subway, etc). The measure failed with 66.1% of voters in favor (66.7% required).