On April 7, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) held its monthly “Lunch with Us” webinar to update stakeholders on happenings regarding the Metro D Line, formerly known as the Purple Line Extension subway project. At the meeting, panelists from Metro provided information on both the Wilshire/La Cienega and Wilshire/Rodeo station excavation and hauling, geotechnical instrumentation, station construction, appendage updates, the Spring bus card and more. Metro also announced a new partner in the Beverly Wilshire pop-up restaurant THEBlvd, now participating in “Eat, Shop, Play,” a business mitigation program that aims to bring attention to local businesses affected by Metro construction.
The Metro D Line will have two stops in Beverly Hills: Wilshire/La Cienega, expected to be complete in 2024, and a Wilshire/Rodeo station in 2025.
The Spring bus card highlights neighborhoods on the west side, including Beverly Hills, and features a QR code that prompts users to explore local shops, restaurants, hotels and more participating in Metro’s “Eat, Shop, Play” program.
At the Wilshire/La Cienega subway station, construction of appendage structures is underway, which includes emergency exits, ventilation rooms and utility rooms. Metro will maintain two lanes in each direction on Wilshire Boulevard from Beverly Drive to Crescent Drive from10:45 a.m. to 12 a.m., and one lane of traffic in each direction on Wilshire Boulevard between the hours of midnight to 10:45 a.m. South Reeves Drive will remain closed from Wilshire Boulevard to the alley until the excavation is complete or otherwise approved by the City Council. The construction conditions on Wilshire remain in place until the earlier of June 30, or when restaurants within Beverly Hills are permitted to provide indoor dining at 100 percent capacity. Additionally, North Gale will be closed at Wilshire from 9 p.m. on Friday until 6 a.m. on Monday each week.
At the Wilshire/Rodeo station, which will be located at Reeves Drive and Wilshire Boulevard, excavation and hauling below ground are underway, with construction reaching an average depth of 95 feet across the station box. Excavation and hauling below deck continue 24 hours a day, seven days a week, until the work reaches a depth of about 100 feet. South Reeves Drive remains closed at Wilshire, with work hours within the Reeves staging yard from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. The project will be requesting an extension of the Reeves Drive closure for an undetermined length of time, and more information will be provided before being presented to the City Council for consideration on May 18.
“We are at the very tail end of excavation now and it’s nearly completed,” Yvette Ximenez, project coordinator for Metro, said at the meeting. “We’re continuing with our tunneling work over in Century City, soon to be heading into Beverly Hills, and we are on track to open the station in 2025.”
Over the next two weeks, 10-foot poles will be installed along the tunnel alignment on Spalding Drive, South Lasky Drive and Charleville Boulevard. Short term closures will be implemented on these streets, and work hours will be weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Next week, geotechnical boring will occur on Wilshire between Robertson Boulevard and La Cienega Boulevard on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Later in April, lane closures will be implemented during day and night hours to facilitate material deliveries and concrete placement for the anticipated Wilshire Boulevard K-rail removal.
To learn more about the Purple Line Extension project, visit http://www.beverlyhills.org/departments/publicworks/constructionprojects/purplelineproject/web.jsp.
The next Metro “Lunch with Us” webinar will be held on May 5.
