Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Councilman Paul Koretz, 5th District, joined Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) officials on Oct. 17 to announce that decking construction on Wilshire Boulevard at La Brea Avenue over the future Purple Line subway was completed six weeks ahead of schedule.

(photo by Edwin Folven)

The decking portion of the project was originally anticipated to take 22 weekends, but partial lane closures on Wilshire Boulevard enabled the contractor Skanska-Traylor-Shea to start the work early on Fridays and complete the decking faster than expected. Wilshire Boulevard was completely closed on weekends near La Brea Avenue during the decking construction.

Garcetti made the announcement at a press conference at Metro’s construction staging yard near Wilshire Boulevard and Ogden Drive. Metro plans to follow the early start approach during the construction of decking over the Wilshire/Fairfax and Wilshire/La Cienega subway stations. Decking for the Wilshire/Fairfax subway station is expected to begin in January, and is anticipated to require 18 weekend closures.

“The early completion of Metro’s Wilshire/La Brea decking is yet another example of our commitment to easing congestion and giving residents more options for getting around town while finishing projects on time and on budget,” said Garcetti, who is also first vice chair on the Metro board of directors. “With this effort completed ahead of schedule, we are well on our way to building the world-class transportation system that our region deserves.”

For the full story, click here: https://beverlypress.com/2016/10/wilshire-blvd-reopens-on-weekends/.