Crews continue work at the Wilshire/Fairfax staging yard, where twin tunneling machines recently broke through on the way toward La Cienega Boulevard. (photo by Edwin Folven)

Plans call for expedited piling and decking to continue through June 15 in a closed section of Wilshire Boulevard between El Camino and Crescent drives.

The full closure was approved by the Beverly Hills City Council and has enabled crews to complete work over three months during the COVID-19 public health emergency that would have otherwise lasted until next year. Piling work on the south side of Wilshire Boulevard was originally scheduled to last through August but was completed in May, and decking work originally scheduled for completion next March will be done by June 15.

Wilshire Boulevard will be reopened after construction concludes in the work zone, but some lanes and peripheral areas may still be closed. Reeves Drive will remain closed at Wilshire Boulevard and La Jolla Avenue for the completion of subway station entrance decking and re-installation of the staging yard sound walls. Wilshire Boulevard may be reduced to one lane in each direction to facilitate nighttime construction.

Crews are also installing a dewatering well system to prepare the station area for excavation. The installation will not require additional closures. Work is anticipated to continue daily from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Instruments are being installed along the tunnel alignment and around the station box to monitor ground movement, settlement and other geological impacts. Throughout June, the instruments will be installed along Wilshire Boulevard from Linden Drive to La Cienega Boulevard, and on Charleville Boulevard and Young, Lasky, Moreno and Spalding drives.

Construction is also occurring at Wilshire and La Cienega boulevards, where station construction, material deliveries and instrumentation is ongoing. Gale Drive will be intermittently closed to support construction in the Gale staging yard. The closure is necessary due to high volumes of vehicles entering and exiting the property. Access to Gale Drive will be maintained from San Vicente Boulevard. Wilshire Boulevard will also be reduced to two lanes in each direction between Hamilton Drive and San Vicente Boulevard.

Utility and tunnel investigation work is also occurring at Wilshire Boulevard and La Jolla Avenue during off-peak hours 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., weekdays, and 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., weekends. New work zones in the center of Wilshire Boulevard and McCarthy Vista will remain in place through Aug. 14. Wilshire Boulevard will be reduced to two lanes in each direction between San Diego Way and La Jolla Avenue, and McCarthy Vista will be reduced to one lane in each direction between Wilshire Boulevard and Warner Drive. Street parking will be restricted in the area.

Near Wilshire/Fairfax, station construction, hauling and concrete pouring are ongoing. Metro’s twin tunneling machines recently broke through to the subway station box near Fairfax Avenue and are continuing west toward La Cienega Boulevard.

Orange Grove Avenue will continue to be closed south of Wilshire Boulevard through January 2022. The alley between the former Johnie’s Coffee Shop building and the 99 Cents Only Stores near Wilshire/Fairfax will be intermittently closed for one year. Access to the 99 Cents Only Stores will be maintained from Fairfax Avenue and Sixth Street.

Hauling, deliveries and tunneling support continues near Wilshire/La Brea and Wilshire/Sycamore. Intermittent daily lane closures along Wilshire Boulevard and side streets between Highland Avenue and Detroit Street may be necessary to support construction. Work hours are 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Material deliveries and underground construction support continue at a work zone in the center of Wilshire Boulevard just west of Rimpau Boulevard. Wilshire Boulevard has been reduced to two lanes in each direction between June Street and Muirfield Road. The work zone will be in place through early 2020 to support underground construction in the subway tunnels.

Tunneling support and street maintenance work also continues near Wilshire/Western, the current terminus of the Purple Line subway. Work is occurring 24-hours at a staging yard just west of the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue. Cross passage excavation support continues at the staging yard. Northbound Manhattan Place will be closed intermittently just north of Wilshire Boulevard. Intermittent single-lane closures may also occur on Wilshire Boulevard between Western Avenue and Manhattan Place. Southbound Oxford Avenue will be intermittently reduced to a single lane.

For questions and concerns, call the 24-hour project hotline at (213)922-6934, email the project team at purplelineext@metro.net, or visit metro.net.