|
Post by Gokhan on Mar 18, 2010 23:39:33 GMT -8
And more falsework is down around these La Brea columns, showing the raw cast concrete. I presume they'll jackhammer and grind it into a smoother curved form? Hmm, I wonder if that could that be a sliding joint (as opposed to rigidly connected)... It looks like it's a little off-centered (thermal expansion of the bridge?). I saw workers smoothing the bridge surfaces to a better finish. Are you using a tripod with your camera?
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Mar 19, 2010 15:01:54 GMT -8
Well, there are still tons and tons of work to do and we may not ride the Expo Line until around December 2011, but meanwhile we will enjoy photographing the construction progress. Every month, every week, something new is showing up. Here is a view of the USC trench from the Expo Line Facebook site: The retained-fill section between La Cienega and Ballona is being finished. It looks like they will have to remove the heavy construction equipment using cranes, as there is no place to go for them. Here is an advice to Expo and Metro. Retained-fill sections do not look good at all, and don't build them in the future. It should have been built on columns. The money saved is not worth it. Here is a more detailed version of Darrell's La Brea easternmost column view: And here is how the bridge sits on the abutment: This view of the tracks near Gramercy Place proves how beautiful at-grade light-rail is. No other form of rail beats at-grade ballasted track in beauty. It gives a rustic, peaceful impression. This will be a very, very beautiful line overall: Overhead poles are being installed very fast, as they are very easy to install -- only a matter of tightening four nuts. The section between Western and Normandie is now basically finished: Detailed view: The most interesting construction activity today was the complete reconstruction of the Vermont and Exposition intersection. At one point Expo had suggested to eliminate complete intersection reconstructions so that they could save money, but it looks like this was reverted. So, the entire intersection has been excavated, and a huge work crew including DWP workers are working on rebuilding it. Seven photograhs are dedicated to this work: The Trousdale Parkway crossing is now finished and surprise, surprise! It's not level but it slopes downward toward the east at an angle!: Curiously they have built this platform at the Pardee Way crossing. I don't know its function but perhaps it's for pedestrians to wait in the median: Finally, not an Expo pic, but this desert bird in Nevada was extremely, extremely vocal and loud (too bad I don't have audio). Therefore, it reminded me the Expo NIMBYs. But it doesn't have diabolical plans as they do:
|
|
|
Post by darrell on Mar 19, 2010 20:14:48 GMT -8
This view of the tracks near Gramercy Place prove how beautiful at-grade light-rail is. No other form of rail beats at-grade ballasted track in beauty. It gives a rustic, peaceful impression. This will be a very, very beautiful line overall: Nice photo spread! Yes, this is how rails to the coast should look. And did you notice the native plant landscaping already growing on the far side?
|
|
|
Post by darrell on Mar 19, 2010 20:25:16 GMT -8
Hmm, I wonder if that could that be a sliding joint (as opposed to rigidly connected)... It looks like it's a little off-centered (thermal expansion of the bridge?). I saw workers smoothing the bridge surfaces to a better finish. Are you using a tripod with your camera? Yes that does appear to be a styrofoam-filled joint, but the rebar cage cylinder still extends from the column into the beam structure. No tripod, although I try to lean against poles or railings for night shots. The two most recent were at 1/8 and 1/2 second, ISO 1600. Lens Image Stabilization also helps.
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Mar 19, 2010 20:33:16 GMT -8
And did you notice the native plant landscaping already growing on the far side? Yep, I've noticed it. It's even more striking around Arlington Ave, with almost six-foot-tall vegetation. It's amazing what a little rain does. All you need is fertile soil and some water. They wouldn't even have to put artificial landscaping.
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Mar 19, 2010 20:41:13 GMT -8
And, finally, the Adams Blvd crossing will be installed this weekend. That means now we have continuous track from 7th and Flower Streets to Buckingham Road and Exposition Boulevard. This has great implications because if you have your own train, now you can commute on the Expo Line. Here is the current list of the rail crossings already installed, shown in Green: Washington 21st 22nd 23rd Adams 28th 30th Jefferson Trousdale Watt Menlo Vermont Raymond Normandie Halldale Denker Western Gramercy Arlington 7th 11th Crenshaw Buckingham Farmdale HauserSo, 21 have been installed and four are left among Expo Phase 1's 25 grade crossings (not counting the existing Blue Line shared track). Washington will remain until late this year. Buckingham and beyond will be installed after the grand approval of Farmdale Avenue on April 22 at the CPUC commission meeting to be held at 10 AM in the Ronald Reagan State Building in Downtown Los Angeles.
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Mar 19, 2010 20:45:14 GMT -8
According to the latest construction notices, the La Brea bridge falsework will be lowered between March 23 and April 5 and the La Cienega bridge falsework between March 22 and April 9, through night work.
|
|
|
Post by tonyw79sfv on Mar 19, 2010 21:53:37 GMT -8
...That means now we have continuous track from 7th and Flower Streets to Buckingham Road and Exposition Boulevard. This has great implications because if you have your own train, now you can commute on the Expo Line. ... Just try to sneak a handcar on the Expo tracks.
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Mar 20, 2010 1:53:16 GMT -8
Or, even better, convert your car like in Back to the Future III so that it rides on rails. As a matter of fact, there are all kinds of rail vehicles employed by Balfour Beatty Rail. Some of them are large, others are small, motorized, or manual, lots of different functions, etc. It would be great if someone had the initiative to operate a private amusement line between Motor and Overland. That section has no grade crossings and it's extremely scenic. It would easily turn into a major Westside attraction, and it would silence the Cheviot Hills opposition.
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Mar 20, 2010 10:34:37 GMT -8
Or, even better, convert your car like in Back to the Future III so that it rides on rails. This has in fact been done for the Expo Line. A modified automobile has been ridden on the Expo tracks. Thanks to all these initial visionaries, we have the Expo Line today.Los Angeles Times August 4, 1988 Section: WestsideWestside Trolley Supporters Urge Purchase of Rail Line to Keep Proposal on TrackMATHIS CHAZANOV Times Staff WriterBouncing slowly down a rusty track in an automobile equipped with railroad wheels, Christine E. Reed could see with her mind's eye the commuters of the future zipping back and forth from Santa Monica to Los Angeles in 50-m.p.h. trolley cars. Although a Westside commuter line is still no more than a figment of the imagination, one possible route is already in place--the 100-year-old Exposition Boulevard freight line that is about to be abandoned by the Southern Pacific railroad. "It's a clear shot from 15th Street in Santa Monica to the Long Beach-L.A. lightrail line," a new-generation trolley link being constructed 15 miles to the east, Reed said. "It's kind of spooky that it's all there." Reed, vice chairwoman of the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission and a member of the Santa Monica City Council, said that public officials should act now to save the Southern Pacific route, which otherwise may be sold piecemeal to private interests. "People will be demanding this in 15 to 20 years, when there will be no other way to get to work," she said. Concerned NeighborhoodsThe Santa Monica City Council has spent $30,000 on a feasibility study of a possible commuter link along the Southern Pacific route, but homeowner groups and Los Angeles City Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky are alarmed by the prospect of a busy commuter line in a residential neighborhoods. "In our community, the residential quality of life for people who live 12 feet from the tracks is of vital concern," said Sara Berman, president of the West of Westwood Homeowners Organization. "There is no question that people might benefit from mass transit, but the question is where is the best location," she said. In a letter to Santa Monica officials, Yaroslavsky said, "noise, vibration, aesthetic impact, invasion of privacy, vandalism and security issues" should rule out construction through residential areas. He said any mass-transit service instead should be an underground extension of the Metro Rail subway system, the first leg of which is under construction in downtown Los Angeles. Metro Rail is expected to extend through Hollywood to the San Fernando Valley sometime in the next decade. But Reed said Santa Monica and most of the Westside will not see Metro Rail "until my funeral, and you can make a light-rail line a lot cheaper--10 miles of light rail for the cost of one mile of Metro Rail." Bond IssueReed noted that the county Transportation Commission's funds to build a light-rail system are already committed to the Los Angeles-Long Beach line and other routes. Money for a Westside connection would probably come from a bond issue, she said. She also said new track would have to be laid, and extensive construction work would have to be done to provide smooth service while not interfering with already congested automobile traffic. "We're going to ask if we can get it on the long-term list (of county Transportation Commission projects)," she said. "To read Zev's letter, you'd think we're going to run (commuter) trains tomorrow." Despite the convenience of an already-existing transportation right of way, regional transportation planners concluded years ago that not enough people live along the Exposition Boulevard route to justify securing it for the early stages of a masstransit system, said Richard Stanger, director of rail development for the county transportation commission. It was decided then that a more expensive Metro Rail line serving Century City, Westwood and the densely populated Wilshire Corridor would be more useful, he said. Buy and Save LineIf the Southern Pacific eventually abandons the entire length of its Exposition Boulevard line, he said, "we as a region might want to buy it and save it, because otherwise we'd lose it and it'll never be as good as it is now. But that would not be justifiable if the money is going to a Metro Rail extension." The Southern Pacific already has suspended its freight service west of Culver City, having won permission from the Interstate Commerce Commission to abandon the right of way after a period during which local governments have first rights to buy the land. That period ends in November, but a railroad spokesman said it could be extended. "As long as the city is really and truly interested in the acquisition, we're willing to negotiate," said Robert Stacey, assistant vice president and regional director of real estate for the Southern Pacific Transportation Co. Owners of plants and warehouses along the predominantly industrial right of way have told the railroad that they would like to buy individual stretches of the right of way to expand their facilities, he said. "We just don't want to be stuck holding (the land) as an open line, waiting for some transportation plan some time in the future," Stacey said. Although Santa Monica's consultants are expected to submit their feasibility study to city officials in a few days, it will be about a month before the City Council begins its deliberations, said Hank Ditmar, the city's airport director. Options for City Council action will probably range from doing nothing to seeking purchase of part or all of the railroad right of way. 50,000 Passengers a DayThe city's consultants have estimated that a Westside light-rail link would cost $200 million to $300 million to build and would carry about 50,000 passengers a day, Ditmar said. Ditmar said Santa Monica would contact neighborhood groups and city officials in Los Angeles if any further action is taken. Despite Yaroslavsky's opposition, an aide to Los Angeles City Councilwoman Ruth Galanter, whose district also abuts the rail line, said Galanter believes the idea should not be dismissed out of hand. It may turn out that the impact on residential neighborhoods can be mitigated, said Galanter's planning aide, Rubell Helgeson. "It would be a pity to see (the rail corridor) cut up and lost," Helgeson said. "We can't keep relying on automobiles, and there's a limit on the amount of street widening you can do without destroying neighborhoods."
|
|
|
Post by Justin Walker on Mar 20, 2010 17:45:21 GMT -8
This has in fact been done for the Expo Line. A modified automobile has been ridden on the Expo tracks. Thanks to all these initial visionaries, we have the Expo Line today. I love seeing these old stories posted. They give great context for what's going on now. (You can really get a feel for how old it is based on the pre-1989 namings of the Red Line as the "Metro Rail Project" and the Blue Line as the "Los Angeles-Long Beach Light Rail Project.") Unrelated post: Before it was cancelled, this month's Metro Construction Committee meeting had a thorough Expo Line Quarterly Update Report. IMO, it has much better information and pictures than the usual Expo Board update presentations.
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Mar 20, 2010 18:01:27 GMT -8
Page 15 is interesting. The current schedule is showing that they will start train testing five months before the substantial completion and in this way the line will open on the day of substantial completion to La Cienega on 11 March 2011. So, mark your calendars. We have less than a year before we will be riding the Expo Line.
|
|
|
Post by metrocenter on Mar 20, 2010 22:42:25 GMT -8
This project schedule shows a projected completion date for Venice/Robertson station construction in mid-January 2011. Five months after that will be June 2011.
So I guess it depends on whether or not Expo decides to go with the limited opening to La Cienega, or wait a few more months and open the complete line.
Also, this project summary report is from December, three months ago. Since it's a quarterly report, hopefully an updated version will be available sometime soon.
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Mar 21, 2010 2:02:33 GMT -8
It looks like this schedule has the same delay as the current schedule, which is 58 weeks. So, it's more or less up-to-date.
The interesting thing seems to be that the train testing is incorporated before the substantial completion. This means trains will be running (with tracks, control systems, and, of course, power finished) five months before substantial completion, in October this year. This way the project will open to La Cienega in March 2011, instead of March + five months of testing, despite the 58-week delay, which would in fact put the opening in August 2011, if this efficient way of testing trains wasn't implemented.
As far as Venice/Robertson Station is concerned: (1) It only shows the completion of the substructure, whatever that is. (2) It's irrelevant anyway, as FFP will not be building it. The new contractor is Balfour Beatty Infrastructure and the new schedule for Venice/Robertson is November 2011 substantial completion. They will also use the same efficient testing method and the test trains will start running long before November 2011 so that the station can be opened immediately at the substantial completion.
In summary:
La Cienega opening: March 2011 Venice/Robertson opening: November 2011
But these dates can change by months and no one can truly predict when and how the Expo Line will open.
|
|
|
Post by bluelineshawn on Mar 21, 2010 10:15:45 GMT -8
I don't know that the "testing" is what it sounds like. If you remember the east la gold line RAC updates also showed testing prior to substantial completion but they called it systems and integration testing. They showed pre-revenue operations after the testing and substantial completion were completed.
|
|
|
Post by bluelineshawn on Mar 21, 2010 10:21:21 GMT -8
Although it could be what it sounds like as well. I guess it depends on what isn't yet substantially completed. I recall that Phoenix was testing their new light rail line before it was completed. But I would think that the definition of "substantial completion" would mean that the line is available for testing.
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Mar 21, 2010 12:17:14 GMT -8
Well, I think definition of substantial completion is that construction work is finished except for minor extras, but I could be wrong. Testing can start after anytime the train components (tracks, overhead, controls, station platforms, etc.) are finished. They don't need to finish things like drainage, parking structures, etc. before train testing but these need to be finished at the substantial completion. In fact the current Venice/Robertson Station plans are such that the tracks will be finished before everything else (of course the structure needs to be built as well) so that they can start testing as early as possible. This way they save five months of testing time.
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Mar 21, 2010 12:51:19 GMT -8
I don't know that the "testing" is what it sounds like. If you remember the east la gold line RAC updates also showed testing prior to substantial completion but they called it systems and integration testing. They showed pre-revenue operations after the testing and substantial completion were completed. Prerevenue operations (regular operations but without passengers) don't take too long -- a month or two or so. But you are probably right that prerevenue operations may not be started before substantial completion. The Eastside Line had a lot of problems during their testing. On that report their test schedule also shows very long for some reason. We will see how the Expo Line testing will go.
|
|
|
Post by darrell on Mar 21, 2010 13:53:17 GMT -8
Here are new photos from yesterday. Concrete was being pumped in the morning for the Adams Blvd. grade crossing. Here's how the brick-pattern parapet wall above the underpass west of Flower St. looks with the K-rails removed. The USC-Exposition Park station looks relatively close to its finished form. Work continued on rebuilding the Vermont intersection, a day after Gokhan's photos. Note the embedded track crossing on the left. Catenary poles are waiting to be installed west (above) and east of Normandie. And here are the finished column rebar cages between Washington and National in Culver City.
|
|
|
Post by rajacobs on Mar 22, 2010 19:36:31 GMT -8
Walking down National. south of Venice, couldn't help but notice this evening that ALL of the Malcolm cranes and equipment are gone. Guess the CIDH (Cast in place drilled holes) phase is truly complete.
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Mar 22, 2010 20:59:16 GMT -8
As you see in Darrell's last picture, there are still six naked cages in the middle of the future structure. I'm not sure why they were left out. Perhaps, instead of Flatiron, Balfour Beatty will cast them. All 17 other columns are finished. Balfour Beatty will start building the structure in early April.
|
|
|
Post by metrocenter on Mar 23, 2010 15:49:48 GMT -8
Here is a map I found elsewhere posted by a guy named Kenni. It shows the Expo Line Phase 1 and the Gold Line Foothill Extension. I don't know who authored it: it says Metro, but who knows. A few things to note. First of all, it does not show Farmdale Station. Second, I notice that Expo is labeled as the "Aqua Line". This name/color was not approved by the Board, and it shouldn't appear like this on any official maps until it is approved. Actually, there is a lot about the design of this map that I like. I like how the transfer stations are labeled with bold text, for emphasis. I also like how the end cities/neighborhoods are labeled in light gray (for instance, "Azusa" and "Long Beach". Also, the designer found a nice balance between geographical correctness and focus on the central elements.
|
|
|
Post by rajacobs on Mar 23, 2010 17:00:45 GMT -8
I agree that the map communicates well. I get a feeling for the geography and the large-face gray endpoints (Santa Monica, Norwalk, etc.) provide a transportation context. Then the transfer stations in boldface make for easy navigation. Kenni could add value to Metro publications!
|
|
|
Post by bluelineshawn on Mar 23, 2010 18:11:15 GMT -8
Metro has new maps that are somewhat more geographical, but not quite that much. They have one that includes lines under construction which will soon include the foothill extension.
The blue line trains also have somewhat new strip maps inside the trains that have a black background like the gold line strip maps. They also oddly have under the transfer stations with a box showing the connecting trains. Oddly they left empty boxes for Pico and 7th/metro for where the trains showing the transfer to Expo would go.
|
|
|
Post by redwings105th on Mar 23, 2010 19:02:36 GMT -8
The new maps are replacing the old grey ones. I've seen them on the Blue Line and the Green Line.... except the ones on the Blue Line are already falling apart.......
|
|
|
Post by tobias087 on Mar 23, 2010 19:18:01 GMT -8
They're on the red line too, and look quite nice, IMO.
|
|
|
Post by kenalpern on Mar 23, 2010 21:05:10 GMT -8
Yes, it's not legal or ethically appropriate, but I really DO like the Aqua Line moniker...
|
|
|
Post by darrell on Mar 24, 2010 10:53:14 GMT -8
|
|
|
Post by rajacobs on Mar 24, 2010 12:04:56 GMT -8
My wife and I were out walking this morning and noted that Balfour Beaty workmen do seem to be around the new forms, which makes me, too, think that Flatiron may have turned the work over.
With regard to Darrell's pictures, additionally, we saw forms being stripped from the eastern approach to the La Cienega bridge.
...Whenever we walk past the "Jefferson Fill" and the Ballona Bridge, some of the workmen yell hello; big smiles; they seem to enjoy the work.
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Mar 24, 2010 12:43:37 GMT -8
Today, for the very first time, I got the feeling of a completed, up and running light-rail line. Thanks to the Vermont Avenue intersection reconstruction done last weekend and progress on the stations, the line is now starting to look clear in Segment A and the east part of Segment B: Aqua-painted stations are looking better everyday. Today they were installing fences for the east split platform of the Western Station. Still missing are protective canopies (as opposed to decorative canopies), artwork, ticket machines, etc. I had very interesting shots at La Brea. It turns out the ramps will be ballasted track and the pole foundations are ready. They are laying subbballast. This is at Harcourt Avenue looking west at the La Brea bridge, Harcourt Ave being the interface between Segment B and C: Same location but looking in the other direction: Now that the La Brea and La Cienega bridges are nearly complete, the majority of work is taking place at the Ballona Creek bridge. Dozens of concrete trucks lined up were anxious to have their concrete unloaded before it got dry: Here is a Phase 2 photo. This is Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles in Palms, looking from behind the building, on the Expo right-of-way, where the trains will be up and running in five years or less. Note that the original Pacific Electric Palms Station (Palms Depot) was located between the grassy area and yellow building (Price Self-Storage) on the left side of the first picture, immediately to the northeast of the high-school lot. Unfortunately they put ugly razor wire around the school and they are very protective of their school. There is a 24-hour guard at the front and the school is razor-wired on three sides like a prison. They have even installed a razor-wired gate on the access ramp to the Expo right-of-way close to Palms Blvd near where the Palms Station will be. When the line is built, there will be retaining walls; so, these ugly razor wires will be gone on the Expo right-of-way: Same location in 1953, showing the Palms Station. Note that the gray-roofed building sitting at a lower elevation adjacent to the south side of the station was replaced with the yellow building a few years ago. Too bad they couldn't make a better use of the building than replacing it with a self-storage facility. 1951 parcel map overlayed on recent aerial taken when the school was being constructed a few years ago: So, the progress on the Expo Line is intense and we can't wait for the train testing to start around this October, about six months from now. Back to the future!
|
|