Crews at the future Wilshire/La Cienega subway station are building
passageways and adjacent rooms, including emergency exit stairways. (photo courtesy of Metro)

Metro has announced that weekend closures of Wilshire Boulevard for street restoration work around the future Wilshire/Fairfax subway station will begin on Friday, Oct. 7. The work was originally planned to begin in mid-September but was rescheduled to allow more time for underground utility relocation. Decking removal in the area is anticipated to require 13 consecutive weekends of closures on Wilshire Boulevard from Ogden Drive to San Diego Way. Wilshire Boulevard will be closed from 9 p.m. on Friday to 6 a.m. on Monday each weekend. Detours will be in place around the work site.

Construction staging for the Wilshire/Fairfax station is taking place on the south side of Wilshire Boulevard between Ogden Drive and Orange Grove Avenue. A second construction staging site is located on the northwest corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue adjacent to the former Johnnie’s Coffee Shop building, which will be preserved and remain after subway construction. Through Sept. 9, crews will be installing  utility connections for the Wilshire/Fairfax station. Wilshire Boulevard will be reduced to a single lane in each direction between Spaulding and Fairfax avenues overnight from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Work is also underway at the Wilshire/La Brea and Wilshire/La Cienega subway stations. At Wilshire/La Brea, crews are building the station entrance and are repairing curbs and gutters on Wilshire Boulevard. The work is expected to continue through early November. Wilshire Boulevard has been reduced to two lanes in each direction between Orange Drive and Detroit Street.

Work is occurring in staging yards and at street level at Wilshire/La Cienega. Backfill operations will occur in September. The work will be conducted overnight on weeknights, and during the day on weekends. From 8 p.m.-6 a.m., Wilshire Boulevard will be reduced to a single lane in each direction between La Cienega and San Vicente boulevards. The work is anticipated to take 10-12 months.

Lane reductions may also be necessary on Wilshire Boulevard between La Cienega and San Vicente boulevards during the day. Left turns from Wilshire Boulevard to Tower, Gale and Hamilton drives may also be restricted.

Near the Wilshire/Rodeo station, crews have been completing ground improvement work and will be working underground until at least 2024. Material, equipment and concrete deliveries will continue daily. Lanes on Wilshire Boulevard may be intermittently reduced from three to one lane between El Camino and Crescent drives.

Utility work is also anticipated to begin in September to install permanent power lines to the Wilshire/Rodeo station. Installation will occur along Wilshire Boulevard between Dayton Way and Rexford Drive and is expected to take place during the day and night. Anticipated work hours will be 8:15 p.m.-7 a.m., Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.

Crews are working underground and in staging areas for the future Century City/Constellation subway station. Partial traffic lane closures are currently in place on Constellation Boulevard to facilitate station excavation, hauling and material deliveries. Eastbound and westbound vehicle access on Constellation Boulevard is being maintained between Century Park West and Century Park East. Excavation of the station entrance is also underway and support activities are ongoing.

Near the future Westwood/VA Hospital subway station, work includes dewatering well installation, instrumentation and utility relocation. The instrumentation installation work is necessary for construction of the future Westwood/VA Hospital station. Intermittent lane reductions will be in place on Bonsall Avenue and Dowlen Drive, and Hadley Lane will be restricted from Bonsall Avenue.

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