Soil removal and other work is occurring in the Reeves staging yard in Beverly Hills. The Beverly Hills City Council approved new expanded work hours in the area. (photo by Edwin Folven)

Subway construction is in full swing along the Purple Line Extension route from Wilshire/Western to Century City. Crews are working in many areas where excavation, tunneling, hauling and station construction is occurring.

At the eastern end of the new subway line at Wilshire/Western, tunneling support continues in a staging yard near Wilshire Boulevard and Manhattan Place. Northbound Manhattan Place will be intermittently closed just north of Wilshire Boulevard from 4 a.m. to midnight, Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday. The closure is a public safety measure to support ongoing excavation and construction. Intermittent single lane closures on Wilshire Boulevard may also be necessary between Western Avenue and Manhattan Place from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Access to businesses in the area will be maintained and a signed pedestrian detour has been installed.

On Dec. 5, a K-rail enclosure may be implemented between Plymouth Boulevard and Windsor Avenue and will be in place for one year. Additional details on the traffic control are forthcoming.

A work zone on the west side of the intersection of Wilshire and Rimpau boulevards is anticipated to be in place through next May. Wilshire Boulevard has been reduced to two lanes in each direction between June Street and Muirfield Road. Concrete and material deliveries are anticipated to continue at the site in December. Wilshire Boulevard may be intermittently reduced to a single lane in each direction to support concrete pouring at the enclosure.

Farther west near Wilshire/La Brea and Wilshire/Sycamore, hauling, deliveries and tunneling support is ongoing. On Saturday, Dec. 5, from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m., westbound Wilshire Boulevard will be closed to all traffic between Highland and La Brea avenues to support concrete deliveries to the La Brea subway station. Through Saturday, Feb. 27, Wilshire Boulevard will be reduced to two lanes in each direction between Detroit and June streets. Intermittent lane closures on Wilshire Boulevard and side streets between Highland Avenue and Detroit Street may also be in place from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, to support construction. Orange Drive will remain closed north of Wilshire Boulevard through the end of February.

Station construction, hauling and concrete pouring are also ongoing near Wilshire/Fairfax. Wilshire Boulevard will be reduced to two lanes in each direction between San Diego Way and Spaulding Avenue through next August. Intermittent lane closures may be in place to support deck panel maintenance and investigation.

Orange Grove Avenue remains closed south of Wilshire Boulevard until January and Ogden Drive will be closed intermittently at Wilshire Boulevard. A K-Rail work zone has been installed at the southwest corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue. Concrete and material deliveries will continue to the Wilshire/Fairfax subway station.

A K-rail enclosure in the center lanes of the intersection of Wilshire/San Vicente is anticipated to be in place through the end of December. The enclosure supports ongoing tunnel and mitigation work underneath Wilshire Boulevard. All left turns are restricted. From 9 p.m. on Dec. 4, through 6 a.m. on Dec. 7, southbound San Vicente Boulevard may be closed through the intersection with Wilshire Boulevard. Eastbound Wilshire Boulevard will be reduced to a single lane through the intersection.

In Beverly Hills, station construction, material deliveries, instrumentation and concrete pouring continues at Wilshire/La Cienega. Concrete and material deliveries to the Wilshire/La Cienega station box are anticipated to continue this week. Eastbound Wilshire Boulevard may be intermittently reduced to one lane from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and 8 p.m. to 7 a.m., as needed. The lane reduction may also be used on Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Gale Drive will also be intermittently closed at Wilshire Boulevard to support construction.

At Wilshire/Rodeo, crews are excavating the future subway station box. The Beverly Hills City Council approved new construction hours in the area on Dec. 1, allowing work from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m., as opposed to the previous hours of 1 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. The allowance of additional time for construction was made because of restaurant and business closures in the area due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. The previous hours were in place to limit disruptions to business. 

Excavation will continue 24 hours beneath the deck over Wilshire Boulevard until crews reach a depth of 100 feet, which is anticipated during the first quarter of 2021.

New hauling hours for removing soil have been announced. From 10:45 a.m. to 4 p.m., two lanes will be open in each direction on Wilshire Boulevard between El Camino and Crescent Drive to accommodate soil removal from the Reeves staging yard. From midnight to 10:45 a.m., Wilshire Boulevard will be reduced to one lane in each direction between El Camino and Crescent drives, when excavation will occur through deck openings along Wilshire Boulevard at Canon Dive, and just west of Beverly Drive. Ground monitoring instruments are also being installed along the tunnel alignment and around the Wilshire/Rodeo station. New work hours are weekdays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. for work on Wilshire Boulevard, and weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the neighborhoods surrounding Wilshire Boulevard.

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.