Metro to deck Wilshire at La Brea for 22 weekends

| January 28, 2016 | 2 Comments
Wilshire to close for subway construction.

Wilshire to close for subway construction.

At a meeting jointly sponsored by Councilman David E. Ryu and Metro, held at Los Angeles High School on Jan. 21, no final decision was announced to resolve the La Brea “decking” controversy. However, indications pointed to a 22-weekend approach.

Before an audience of approximately 80 neighborhood stakeholders, Metro’s construction relations manager, Kasey Shuda, oversaw the nearly two hours of presentations plus discussion with the audience.

Councilman Ryu said at the meeting’s outset that he was leaning toward supporting the 22-weekend approach but still was taking input from constituents and traffic experts.

The day following the community meeting, the Councilman’s office confirmed that Ryu will support the weekend-only approach and that he and his staff will continue to work closely with Metro to ensure that the contractor mitigates potential traffic problems to the maximum extent possible.

During the meeting at the high school, Shuda spoke from a long agenda and projected slides explaining details of upcoming construction in and near mid-Wilshire neighborhoods. Representatives of the contractors, Skanska Traylor Shea (STS), also spoke.

The Metro slide presentation is online at web address tinyurl.com/hcovspc Most of the questions from the audience related to traffic during construction. The next Metro community meeting will be Thurs., March 17, with the main topic to be traffic detours.

By sticking with the originally conceived plan of having the street closures take place only on 22 weekends, Wilshire Blvd. generally will stay open Monday mornings through Friday nights.

The decking work is scheduled to commence in April.

A seven-week alternative scenario had been suggested by STS, the contractor, as a way to alleviate traffic during installation of the temporary Wilshire Blvd. roadway surface—to be sections of concrete decking—between Orange Dr. and Detroit St. The decking will cover the underground excavation during the years of subway station construction.

The Purple Line extension will add nine miles of subway with seven new stations west of Western Ave. and ending at the Westwood/VA Hospital, west of the 405 freeway.

The current work is part of the first, 3.9-mile, segment. In addition to La Brea, this segment includes stations at Fairfax and at La Cienega. See details and a video on the project at tinyurl.com/hcrngx6.

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Category: Community, News

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