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Post by Gokhan on Sept 10, 2008 17:51:05 GMT -8
I just saw that the USC trench is now being excavated. You can now actually see the tunnel portal at the Trousdale Station! It appears that the project has now gained full speed. We should also soon see the track installation taking place.
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Post by Jason Saunders on Sept 10, 2008 20:43:12 GMT -8
I routinely drive or bicycle out of my way to access development on the line and things appears to be moving so slowly from my perspective.
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Post by darrell on Sept 10, 2008 22:26:26 GMT -8
I saw utility work tonight at La Brea, Crenshaw, and Western. Lanes were blocked, trenches open, and work being done below the future tracks.
Some long utility line is going into National Blvd. from Washington east to Wesley or so in Culver City.
Pipes and gray plastic electrical conduit are staged in different parts of the right-of-way, along with pallets of conduit and other parts on the big lot between Washington and Venice.
The mountain of broken concrete and asphalt next to the Robertson offramp from the I-10 freeway is getting crushed into new aggregate there.
And work is underway on the new National Blvd. bridge over Ballona Creek.
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Post by Jason Saunders on Sept 11, 2008 10:22:39 GMT -8
I guess, all that utility work is so invisible to the average commuter. It's small so it looks like things are static. Every time I pass La Cieniega I see so few guys out there. I'm anxious to see Expo take shape.
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Post by Gokhan on Sept 11, 2008 13:37:11 GMT -8
Well, believe it or not, the line will open to service in less than two years, even though the construction is currently only 16% complete.
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Post by darrell on Sept 11, 2008 19:22:27 GMT -8
Here are three views of the Pardee-Figueroa-Flower underpass, looking east, taken late this afternoon. Excavation is beginning west of the future Pardee Way portal. You can see the rebar for the parapet railing along the top of the walls. The initial CIDH (Cast In Drilled Hole) concrete columns are still out of site in the ground. Between Pardee Way and Figueroa Street the streets cantilever partly over the trench, leaving a narrow open space in the center, spanned by cast-in-place beams. East of Figueroa you can see rebar for open beams and solid slab deck beyond, heading toward Fower Street.
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Post by Gokhan on Sept 11, 2008 19:58:13 GMT -8
Thanks for the great pictures, Darrell!
So much work just to avoid the already-signalized southbound I-110 off ramp at Flower/Exposition so that LADOT is pleased. A fully at-grade line by USC would have been not only much easier to build but also more elegant and would allow an eastern spur to the Blue Line on the railroad right-of-way.
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Post by jejozwik on Sept 12, 2008 5:16:03 GMT -8
i like it much better this way. im glad it was approved
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Post by hooligan on Sept 13, 2008 11:25:46 GMT -8
Thanks for the great pictures, Darrell! So much work just to avoid the already-signalized southbound I-110 off ramp at Flower/Exposition so that LADOT is pleased. A fully at-grade line by USC would have been not only much easier to build but also more elegant and would allow an eastern spur to the Blue Line on the railroad right-of-way. really?!! at grade near a freeway off ramp. I have to disagree that would have been a mess.
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Post by Jason Saunders on Sept 19, 2008 11:00:11 GMT -8
I went out on my bicycle yesterday and took some photographs of La Brea and La Cieniga which are near my studio: The historic Pacific Electric bridge over Ballona The Ballona Creek north of the bridge facing north. Concrete forms for the new Ballona Creek bridge under construction. Note an access ramp to the south and the historic bridge to the north. These were at the La Brea intersection I presume these are concrete forms. As you can see they're large enough to drive a car through. This thing is huge. It looks kind of like the head of a TBM. I imagine this will be used to cut into the surface for the foundation of the La Brea Bridge. These are huge tanks. I imagine them to be used for the concrete to construct the bridge, but really I don't know.
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Post by jejozwik on Sept 19, 2008 11:50:33 GMT -8
These are huge tanks. I imagine them to be used for the concrete to construct the bridge, but really I don't know. those tanks are water tanks, often used in oil drilling to hold contaminated water. if you put concrete in them you'll end up with one big, heavy, problem on your hands
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Post by Gokhan on Sept 23, 2008 9:23:17 GMT -8
Here is the construction activity as of this morning:
Work is now progressing with full speed, with a lot of activity taking place throughout the right-of-way, most of them being utility relocation. There is also land-grading taking place in expectation of track installation in a few months. You can see huge galvanized-steel tubes in which you can fit a train by La Brea. I am not sure what they are. Perhaps they are building a tunnel and they will form the twin bores of the tunnel. LOL Seriously, I think they are concrete forms as mentioned earlier. But the La Brea bridge construction is completely underway.
Speaking of the USC tunnel, now you can see the cast-in-drilled-hole piles exposed, forming the walls of the tunnel. East portal seems to be completely excavated now. It does look cool from the outside.
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Post by Justin Walker on Sept 23, 2008 11:11:44 GMT -8
The crews at the USC Trench indicated the digging will be done within the next few weeks, a surprisingly short estimate.
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Post by wrcousert on Sept 23, 2008 12:58:53 GMT -8
The crews at the USC Trench indicated the digging will be done within the next few weeks, a surprisingly short estimate. Do you have any photos?
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Post by Gokhan on Sept 23, 2008 16:05:32 GMT -8
OK, you want the pictures of the USC tunnel -- the only underground segment of the Expo Line, both for Phase 1 and 2; here is the west portal. It looks really cool. Note the ventilation duct. The construction authority should post official pictures taken from the inside at their next board meeting. Click here for the high-resolution original.
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Post by wrcousert on Sept 23, 2008 21:31:39 GMT -8
OK, you want the pictures of the USC tunnel -- the only underground segment of the Expo Line, both for Phase 1 and 2; here is the east portal. It looks really cool. Note the ventilation duct. The construction authority should post official pictures taken from the inside at their next board meeting. Thanks! Do you know how long the tunnel is? Will it have an underground station?
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Post by Justin Walker on Sept 23, 2008 21:54:43 GMT -8
The full trench (from Trousdale to Jefferson) will be about 2,500 ft long. Much of that is approach to the tunnels, which will be about 1,200 ft. No underground stations but the Trousdale (i.e. USC/Expo Park) station will be on the slope from at-grade to underground. (See below, looking east towards the undercrossing)
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Post by Gokhan on Sept 24, 2008 10:37:27 GMT -8
Justin Walker's illustrated summary describes it pretty well.
This underpass is commonly being referred to as a trench, instead of a tunnel, because wherever there is no need for street space above the structure, there are uncovered sections, which provide ventilation as well as access for emergency crews.
Note that the Trousdale Station, just to the west of the west portal, is unique in the sense that the platform is on a slope, part of it being slightly above grade and part slightly below grade, which makes access easier and is less obstructive visually than a regular platform that is four feet above grade uniformly.
There is an at-grade station just south of Jefferson on the west side of Flower, then the trench ramps down, goes below the path of the freeway off-ramp on Flower, Exposition, Figureoa, and Pardee Way. The west portal is located immediately west of Pardee Way and then quickly comes the Trousdale Station.
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Post by Justin Walker on Sept 24, 2008 14:33:27 GMT -8
It would have been nice if the geometry of the trench allowed for platform access from the east end of the station. This would've made access to Figueroa and the 37th St. Harbor Transitway station somewhat easier. But on the other hand, the demand for such a connection is probably quite low.
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Post by Gokhan on Sept 24, 2008 17:50:53 GMT -8
I've just passed by the La Brea bridge area. I think it's correct that the giant tubes are concrete forms. It looks like the bridge is going to be supported by one, or perhaps more, giant circular-cross-section column on either end. Also, I noticed that the intersection at La Brea was completely blocked. I was thinking thank God there is no grade crossing there. But, then, it turned out that the lights were out. Perhaps it has to do with the difficult and expensive relocation of the power lines there in preparation of the bridge construction. We should request the Expo Authority to post their plans on their Web site. They do so on the room walls during the monthly community meetings.
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Post by kenalpern on Sept 24, 2008 21:06:03 GMT -8
"It would have been nice if the geometry of the trench allowed for platform access from the east end of the station. This would've made access to Figueroa and the 37th St. Harbor Transitway station somewhat easier. But on the other hand, the demand for such a connection is probably quite low."
For now, Justin, for now. Some of us have been asking about this Transitway connection for years, but it probably didn't seem like a good short-term goal.
Still, once the Expo Line exists, and especially when Phase 2 and the Downtown Connector exists, I could imagine quite a few South Bay and Long Beach area folks wanting to utilize this Transitway to get to Downtown and Santa Monica than with the current unconnected Transitway.
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Post by Gokhan on Sept 25, 2008 7:27:24 GMT -8
It would have been nice if the geometry of the trench allowed for platform access from the east end of the station. This would've made access to Figueroa and the 37th St. Harbor Transitway station somewhat easier. But on the other hand, the demand for such a connection is probably quite low. This is why grade separation is bad. If the line was built at-grade, not only station access could be provided at Pardee Way but also a revenue (transit) or nonrevenue (maintenance) Blue Line connector branch could be provided on the railroad right-of-way between Flower St and Long Beach Blvd. The trench now prevents this connector as well.
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Post by JerardWright on Sept 25, 2008 8:05:55 GMT -8
This is why grade separation is bad. If the line was built at-grade, not only station access could be provided at Pardee Way but also a revenue (transit) or nonrevenue (maintenance) Blue Line connector branch could be provided on the railroad right-of-way between Flower St and Long Beach Blvd. The trench now prevents this connector as well. The entrance to Pardee Way can be provided either way (with or without grade separation) by eliminating the landscaping edge along the median. So the grade separation isn't preventing that from happening. As for the non-revenue tracks, grade separation isn't preventing that from happening, Lack of planning and or lack of interest by the residents and businesses along Expo East tracks are the causes for this. Had there been serious interest in it, this would have been either an expensive and complicated two level below grade trench wye or a flat junction with a starter storage track/ mini terminal next to the 37th Street Transitway Station for extra USC trains going to the Coliseum. But alas this was not the case. However such a connection can still be made by going at-grade after the Jefferson/Flower station, run east 5 blocks and connect to the ROW at Jefferson/Main where it cuts diagonally or re-open the trench at a later time and cut into the wall since this is not a bored tunnel structure.
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Post by JerardWright on Sept 25, 2008 8:20:15 GMT -8
...I could imagine quite a few South Bay and Long Beach area folks wanting to utilize this Transitway to get to Downtown and Santa Monica than with the current unconnected Transitway. This could still happen by way of the 39th Street Transitway exit and dedicated bus only lanes on Figueroa and Flower Street to either the USC/Expo Park Station or Jefferson/Flower with a direct connection between the bus and rail there. Once the Regional Connector is in place I can easily see bus service shortened to only the USC/Expo Park area since the Expo Line will mimic all the Express routes that run down that corridor to Financial District, Convention Center, Civic Center and Union Station.
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Post by Gokhan on Sept 25, 2008 8:41:52 GMT -8
This is why grade separation is bad. If the line was built at-grade, not only station access could be provided at Pardee Way but also a revenue (transit) or nonrevenue (maintenance) Blue Line connector branch could be provided on the railroad right-of-way between Flower St and Long Beach Blvd. The trench now prevents this connector as well. The entrance to Pardee Way can be provided either way (with or without grade separation) by eliminating the landscaping edge along the median. So the grade separation isn't preventing that from happening. As for the non-revenue tracks, grade separation isn't preventing that from happening, Lack of planning and or lack of interest by the residents and businesses along Expo East tracks are the causes for this. Had there been serious interest in it, this would have been a below grade trench wye, with a starter storage track/ mini terminal next to the 37th Street Transitway Station for extra USC trains going to the Coliseum. But alas this was not the case. However such a connection can still be made by going at-grade after the Jefferson/Flower station, run east 5 blocks and connect to the ROW at Jefferson/Main where it cuts diagonally or re-open the trench at a later time and cut into the wall since this is not a bored tunnel structure. The problem with the station access from Pardee Way with the current configuration is that the east end of the platform is below-grade. The problem with continuing the trench east of Flower St on the railroad right-of-way is not just a community-leader (!) opposition. You are forgetting that there is a freeway right next to Flower St and building a trench under it would be very complicated engineeringwise, if short of compromising the structural integrity of the elevated freeway section there. The problem with putting a branch on Jefferson is that it would take traffic lanes there.
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Post by JerardWright on Sept 25, 2008 9:53:50 GMT -8
The problem with the station access from Pardee Way with the current configuration is that the east end of the platform is below-grade. The trains NOT the platform. The platform is set up to create the least impacts horizontally so that it looks/appears that the platform is only a few inches off of the ground so all they'd need to do is add a simple ADA auxillary entrance and create a path from Pardee that is currently used for the Median landscaping. Done, an extra entrance from Pardee Way. Have you read the EIR's, It has nothing to do with the current issues. It will not matter because the railroad right of way is wide enough to build underneath that section underneath the freeway that it will not impact the freeway columns. But there's so little traffic there on Jefferson east of Figueroa, it doesn't matter.
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Post by Gokhan on Sept 25, 2008 10:15:57 GMT -8
The trains NOT the platform. According to the preliminary engineering drawings, the east end of the platform is 3 ft below ground. Not a big deal probably with respect to station access but may bring some complications with the design. More importantly have you followed the actual political events surrounding the EIR at that time? Are you familiar with the cave-in problem that occurred during the drilling of the CIDH piles for the trench? Do you know what would happen if cave-in took place next to the freeway supports? Still, reducing a two-lane street to a one-lane street is a significant impact.
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Post by jejozwik on Sept 25, 2008 11:02:19 GMT -8
Are you familiar with the cave-in problem that occurred during the drilling of the CIDH piles for the trench? Do you know what would happen if cave-in took place next to the freeway supports? flyover, problem solved
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Post by Gokhan on Sept 25, 2008 11:17:14 GMT -8
Are you familiar with the cave-in problem that occurred during the drilling of the CIDH piles for the trench? Do you know what would happen if cave-in took place next to the freeway supports? flyover, problem solved Oh, well, a flyover over the freeway is not really practical at all. (It would have to be way too high.) For Phase 2 they are going to actually put the flyover under the 405 freeway and depress Sawtelle a little to achieve the grade separation there. They could have gone elevated for the USC structure as well but this would create visual impacts and require some space for the supports. It also turned out that the trench was cheaper in this particular case.
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Post by Jason Saunders on Sept 25, 2008 12:57:07 GMT -8
"Are you familiar with the cave-in problem that occurred during the drilling of the CIDH piles for the trench? Do you know what would happen if cave-in took place next to the freeway supports?" No, when was there a cave in? I'm sure it could safely be done with a few precautions. CIDH piles are placed next to freeways all the time: Check It here.
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