Street restoration on the Regional Connector starts January 10, road closures in effect through August

At the new Little Tokyo/Arts District Station, crews have completed concrete placement of the exterior walls and roof for the rail tunnel entrance on 1st Street that will serve trains coming from East Los Angeles. Completing the first of the two tunnel entrances for the L Line (Gold) (the other is for trains coming from Azusa) is a big part of this project that is tying together the A Line (Blue), E Line (Expo) and L Line (Gold).

The project is now ready to start street restoration efforts to return the roads to the conditions found prior to construction and bring the Regional Connector one step closer to completion.

Road closures for street restoration begin January 10

Street restoration starts on January 10, 2020, and will last approximately eight months (two four-month phases of closures). This process is completed in three major steps and requires crews to close streets to remove the concrete panels that make up the temporary roadway.

First, crews will backfill on top of the wye junction guideway roof. The wye junction is a triangular joining arrangement of three rail lines with a railroad switch at each corner connecting the lines. Backfilling is the process of replacing soil that was removed during the initial excavation and is the key to a solid and stable base for the permanent road. This work will take place up to approximately 20 feet below the roadway and has already begun in anticipation of the planned 2020 street closures.

Next, the temporary deck panels that make the 1st St./Alameda St. intersection will be removed. This provides crews access to the dense web of utilities that exist below ground. Utility lines that are currently hanging from the decking structure will be permanently set into place, before the supporting deck structure is removed and the area is completely backfilled. A new, semi-permanent layer of asphalt will be placed on top of it all to restore vehicular traffic to the intersection.

Finally, a cap of asphalt is placed, along with curbs, gutters, and sidewalks to complete the process of street restoration. To learn more about this process, read the restoration fact sheet or view a time-lapse video of this process from the Crenshaw/LAX transit project.

Plan ahead and use alternate routes

In order for crews to complete this extensive work, lane reductions and road closures will be in place at the 1st St. and Alameda St. intersection beginning the night of January 10 and lasting through August 2020. Use alternate routes when traveling into downtown LA.

  • Westbound 1st St. closure (between Vignes St. and Alameda St.) is in effect January 13 to April 24, 2020
  • Full intersection closures of 1st St./Alameda St. is in effect the weekends of January 10, 24, 31; February 7; March 27; April 3, 10, 24; May 1; and August 28, 2020
  • One-block closure of 1st St. (between Alameda St. and Central Ave.) is in effect April 27 to August 31, 2020

Metro L Line (Gold) and Line 30/330 service will NOT be impacted during this work. The LADOT DASH Line A will be rerouted in Little Tokyo and the Arts District during weekend closures. Visit LADOT DASH rider alerts for details.

Visit the project homepage for a closer look at the Regional Connector.

Businesses open during construction

While roads may be closed in the neighborhood, businesses remain open. To make your visit to the area a little easier, Metro is offering two hours of validation when you visit participating Little Tokyo businesses and park at a designated lot. Learn more on the project page.

Plus, visit Metro’s Eat Shop Play page for a list of shops and restaurants in the area you have to try for yourself. Getting around by walking is a breeze. Use these handy maps to tour Little Tokyo or the Arts District on foot.

Questions or comments?

Metro would like to thank the community for its ongoing patience and cooperation. For more information find the Regional Connector community outreach team Mondays (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.), Tuesdays and Thursdays (1 p.m. to 5 p.m.), and Wednesdays and Fridays (appointment only) at the Little Tokyo Community Office (located at 360 E. 1st St.). You can also call the project hotline anytime at 213-922-7277 or visit their webpage for the latest project news.

11 replies

  1. I’m curious to know if this station will be similar to the wilshire/vermont station where there are two levels for both directions before they split into their own routes.

    • From what I seen at the current site in Little Tokyo as I’m always in the area, It seems like it will be same platform with trains sharing tracks, no need to go up and down the escalators to transfer trains, which is a huge problem currently at Wilshire/Vermont as after 8pm Purple Line trains almost NEVER meet to transfer, resulting in a 20 min delay.

      This serious issue should be gone once the Purple Line goes to Fairfax, but that problem shouldn’t be there to begin with.

      I’m just glad Metro learned their lesson with that obvious dumb idea at Wilshire and Vermont which will now cause serious delays once construction of the Vermont Subway begins.

  2. Since the gold Line is going to be severed with the East L.A. portion connected to the Expo Line where are the excess trains going to be stored since the current Expo Yard is at capacity and the Gold Line yard tat is currently used is in Monrovia , miles away from the CBD?

  3. Hi Roberto, could you please say what or where would be best forum (online preferably) to give input or make wishlist requests for Metro committees to consider or take suggestions from customers regarding planning? I try to go on the Metro website but it’s not easy to know where to email so it gets to the right department(s). For example, in the future I would like to request Metro consider connecting the Crenshaw Line northbound with the new upcoming subway running along Wilshire as it will pass Crenshaw on its way westward.

  4. Possibly off topic, but is the current Little Tokyo station going to face another closure at some point due to “tie-ins??” (Please excuse the lack of proper words).

    • Yes, the current station will eventually be closed and demolished. We will have more information on that once we confirm details.

      Anna Chen
      Writer, The Source

  5. This is the shortest longest project ever. Ive actually forgotten about it, but its not exactly the best news since its taken longer than expected. Next to purple line, this was always an exciting project.

  6. What’s the timeline for completing the tunnel for Azusa-bound trains? This is the one I’m most concerned with, since I assume it will involve disruption of Gold Line service and demolition of the existing Little Tokyo station.

    • Hi John,

      We don’t have that info at this time but we will definitely be publicizing once we have details.

      Anna Chen
      Writer, The Source