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Post by LAofAnaheim on Nov 10, 2012 12:30:42 GMT -8
Some poor chap lives near the Expo ROW and Canfield. He made this video at 4:10 AM. Any idea why construction would be going on at this time? By analyzing the video, it seems he is looking at the ROW directly behind the Albertson's parking lot right where Exposition drive turns into South Durango. On Google maps it shows a concrete staircase leading to the lot from the ROW which may need to be removed. But at 4:00 AM? Odd. It's rather inconvenience nearby homeowners at 4 am or inconvenience the driving public at 4 pm. In Los Angeles, doing construction work during rush hours is forbidden (it's like a holy grail that you cannot touch during when cars are allowed to rule the road), so alternative time has to be found. That's LA for you.........
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Post by Gokhan on Nov 10, 2012 19:49:18 GMT -8
Some poor chap lives near the Expo ROW and Canfield. He made this video at 4:10 AM. Any idea why construction would be going on at this time? By analyzing the video, it seems he is looking at the ROW directly behind the Albertson's parking lot right where Exposition drive turns into South Durango. On Google maps it shows a concrete staircase leading to the lot from the ROW which may need to be removed. But at 4:00 AM? Odd. This was discussed at this month's board meeting. Listen to it starting at 4:00 minutes. Basically, in order not to have 1.5x-paid overtime work, they need to have 8-hour shifts. This 8-hour shift can either be during daytime, which would cause a traffic nightmare, or during nighttime, which causes disturbance. They are working on dividing the shifts between day and night in order to alleviate the problems.
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Post by Alexis Kasperavičius on Nov 13, 2012 17:04:20 GMT -8
More pics from Dwight this week. Bridge mounts now rising on Olympic as well as detailed station drawings for Palms, Westwood, Bundy and Santa Monica. (Link)
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Post by Gokhan on Nov 14, 2012 13:12:26 GMT -8
Phase 1 contractor Flatiron (FCI) had used single, very large and deep CIDH piles for the foundations. Skanska is using multiple shallow small CIDH piles instead. This is resulting in a lot of cost savings. Skanska seems to be much more experienced in various construction techniques than Flatiron, which is not only resulting in cost savings but also simplifying and speeding up the construction. Those drills and CIDH piles they used for Phase 1 were colossal and it took a long time to drill the holes. Enjoy my old videos:
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Post by LAofAnaheim on Nov 15, 2012 9:28:37 GMT -8
RT @lastreetsblog Breaking: CA Supreme Court denies Neighbors for Smart Rail Petition to stay construction while lawsuit against @expoline Phase II continues.
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Post by masonite on Nov 15, 2012 9:32:38 GMT -8
RT @lastreetsblog Breaking: CA Supreme Court denies Neighbors for Smart Rail Petition to stay construction while lawsuit against @expoline Phase II continues. Fantastic news. That would have been a major disaster to have to stop construction, especially now that things are really picking up on Phase II.
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Post by jdrcrasher on Nov 15, 2012 11:09:24 GMT -8
Just for fun: How long would it take for their case to be heard before a US Supreme Court judge?
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Post by Gokhan on Nov 15, 2012 19:18:28 GMT -8
Just for fun: How long would it take for their case to be heard before a US Supreme Court judge? And then United Nations.
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Post by Gokhan on Nov 15, 2012 19:22:15 GMT -8
I saw what appears to be the common undergound conduits for the communication cables (about seven companies, including the major telecoms) laid on the sidewalk of Venice Blvd between Culver and Robertson. They should relocate all the fiber/cable/phone cables on the poles to this common underground ductbank in the next few weeks.
They still have to relocate the high-voltage power cables afterwards.
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Post by Gokhan on Nov 15, 2012 20:13:27 GMT -8
This is great! Make sure to join these meetings for valuable suggestions on how to integrate Expo Phase 2 into the neighborhood! Also note that the National/Palms Station is named "Palms!"
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Post by rajacobs on Nov 15, 2012 22:35:36 GMT -8
At National / Exposition / Palms, the first vertical form side for the new eastern bridge abutment is in place tonight.
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Post by Gokhan on Nov 16, 2012 10:35:52 GMT -8
I saw what appears to be the common undergound conduits for the communication cables (about seven companies, including the major telecoms) laid on the sidewalk of Venice Blvd between Culver and Robertson. They should relocate all the fiber/cable/phone cables on the poles to this common underground ductbank in the next few weeks. They still have to relocate the high-voltage power cables afterwards. I took a look at them in the morning, and they are actually new poles for the high-voltage power lines. Hopefully these HV lines will be relocated promptly so that they could start the construction of the Venice bridge soon. Unfortunately Balfour Beatty Infrastructure, Inc, is probably not as efficient as Skanska and the construction could take a little longer than we hope.
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Post by Gokhan on Nov 16, 2012 10:38:41 GMT -8
At National / Exposition / Palms, the first vertical form side for the new eastern bridge abutment is in place tonight. Skanska is very efficient in what it is doing. Unlike the Phase 1 contractor Flatiron (FCI), they are using standard, prefabricated forms, and it's taking them days instead of weeks to build these abutments. Flatiron would make every form separately out of wood.
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Post by rajacobs on Nov 16, 2012 13:54:45 GMT -8
Just west of the Albertson's along Exposition, Balfour Beaty has been constructing 2 wooden U shaped forms, late at night under floodlights ...FOR WEEKS! It all started with them pouring a reinforced concrete slab on the ground just west of the construction entrance next to the Albertson's delivery entrance. These white forms have been built on the concrete slab--that seems to have been created as a work area. The forms are portable; we've seen them in various orientations as they've developed. Have no clue what they are for.
Additionally, we've been perplexed at "bins" on the ROW created out of K-rails immediately adjacent to the rear of Albertson's. The bins were created and filled with dirt at least 6-8 weeks ago. Each one seems to be tagged. They're viewable from the roof of Albertson's (accessible by staircases on each side to offer access to parking and the Ross store there.)
I've been imagining that this may be the "tainted" soil from the area between Bagley and National.
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Post by Gokhan on Nov 16, 2012 20:01:01 GMT -8
I saw what appears to be the common undergound conduits for the communication cables (about seven companies, including the major telecoms) laid on the sidewalk of Venice Blvd between Culver and Robertson. They should relocate all the fiber/cable/phone cables on the poles to this common underground ductbank in the next few weeks. They still have to relocate the high-voltage power cables afterwards. I took a look at them in the morning, and they are actually new poles for the high-voltage power lines. Hopefully these HV lines will be relocated promptly so that they could start the construction of the Venice bridge soon. Unfortunately Balfour Beatty Infrastructure, Inc, is probably not as efficient as Skanska and the construction could take a little longer than we hope. Some of the new high-voltage poles are already installed along Venice Boulevard.
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Post by Gokhan on Nov 19, 2012 15:38:31 GMT -8
Surprisingly, the relocation of the high-voltage lines by DWP at Venice Blvd is progressing very rapidly, in sharp contrast to Phase 1. The lines are already hanging over the shiny new galvanized-steel poles. They will feed them into the underground ducts where they are currently crossing Robertson Blvd. Also note that those black low-voltage lines owned by seven different telecommunication companies will also have to be relocated underground.
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Post by bobdavis on Nov 19, 2012 18:40:46 GMT -8
Some of those "low voltage lines" appear to be "no voltage lines", i.e. fiber optic cables.
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Post by Gokhan on Nov 19, 2012 20:45:01 GMT -8
Some of those "low voltage lines" appear to be "no voltage lines", i.e. fiber optic cables. Probably most are fiber.
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Post by rajacobs on Nov 21, 2012 1:52:22 GMT -8
Last night (11/20) an orderly forest of rebar could be seen sprouting eastward on Exposition from National/Palms for the MSE wall.
Additionally, the third vertical form side for the new eastern bridge abutment at National/Palms is in place.
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Post by Gokhan on Nov 21, 2012 10:24:29 GMT -8
Not really a construction pic but it's from the Expo right-of-way along Exposition Blvd in Palms. This huge hawk seen on top of the tree was being visciously attacked by a married couple of crows and moving from tree to tree to avoid them, also being attacked in the air:
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Post by Alexis Kasperavičius on Nov 21, 2012 14:59:02 GMT -8
More pics from Dwight this week. Bridge mounts now rising and MSE walls starting to take shape with casting being done on site. (Link)Happy Thanksgiving!
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Post by bobdavis on Nov 21, 2012 18:02:26 GMT -8
Gokhan: Thanks for the "nature study" photo. Out here in the San Gabriel Valley we have several flocks of wild parrots that add color (and noisy squawks!) to our local scene. Also, how are the Expo kitties doing? I can imagine that all the construction activity has been a shock to them.
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Post by jdrcrasher on Nov 21, 2012 19:58:29 GMT -8
^ The green parrots. Yep I've definitely seen more than my fair share of 'em.
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Post by Gokhan on Nov 21, 2012 21:07:55 GMT -8
For those who are interested, there are more pics and videos of this big hawk and the crows fighting her here. We have the California wild green parrots in Palms as well and one day I saw a huge flock in the USC campus near the football-training field. Palms Park kitties are doing great thanks to their regular caretakers who come to feed them everyday. Hopefully they will learn to avoid the trains. In this one of my favorite videos, the two walk together with their tails wrapped around each other like two young lovers with their arms wrapped around each other.
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Post by bobdavis on Nov 22, 2012 23:44:42 GMT -8
Thanks for the kitty video--both my wife and I enjoyed it.
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Post by Gokhan on Dec 4, 2012 14:34:25 GMT -8
They were doing work at the site of the TPSS at Jasmine Avenue and National Boulevard today. Note that this site was one of the sites to be acquired that was objected by the land owner.
More abutment work at the Palms Station and this morning there was also some clearing at Venice/Robertson, apparently getting ready to some work there.
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Post by Alexis Kasperavičius on Dec 5, 2012 7:29:09 GMT -8
Track 16 yields to the Expo Line (From LA Observed)Signs of actual work on the Expo Line extension to Santa Monica can be seen all along the right-of-way west from Culver City. Beside Olympic Boulevard in Santa Monica, bridge foundations are rising that portend the demise of a portion of the Bergamot Station arts complex, including the Track 16 gallery where many have attended events through the years. Lisa Napoli went out to do a story on the end of Track 16 for KCRW: It’s a sad irony for those of us who crave more mass transit that a special spot has to fall to make way for the Expo Line. Wine-sipping, art loving visitors have flocked to the galleries at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica for nearly 20 years, but the building that houses the massive 13-thousand square foot wonder known as Track 16 will be razed soon, and in its place, a train platform will eventually rise for the Olympic and 26th Street stop.... The workmen had already arrived last week to prep the site, even before the December 7th move-out date. I went to talk to Hollywood writer and producer Tom Patchett (“Alf,” “The Muppets Take Manhattan,” “The Bob Newhart Show”) who helped develop Bergamot Station back in 1994, when it was a warren of abandoned warehouses. If you’ve ever visited Track 16, you know it wasn’t a typical gallery. It was enormous, crazy, fun-filled with Americana, like this old diner from the twenties, and lots of memorabilia, like the original Brown Derby neon sign. (link to article / KCRW audio)
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Post by Gokhan on Dec 5, 2012 12:34:35 GMT -8
The east abutment of the new bridge at National/Palms/Exposition is now done. They are working on the west abutment as well as a single column that will go in at the northwest corner of the street. Once they are done as well, they can put the falsework.
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Post by Gokhan on Dec 6, 2012 10:30:39 GMT -8
They were digging a very large hole -- the size of a bus -- in the right-of-way northwest of Venice Blvd, not too far from the street. It looks like they may have finally begun the actual bridge construction.
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Post by Alexis Kasperavičius on Dec 7, 2012 7:13:55 GMT -8
Latest photo updates from Dwight: Things Seen in this Weeks Photos out on Expowww.flickr.com/photos/expoline-part-2- Iron Workers installing re-bar in the Abutment Form work Western side of the Sepulveda Bridge and Station
- Sepulveda Station Parking Area is starting to be Cleared Out for Parking Structure Construction
- Foundations for the Sepulveda Bridge Columns East Side are ready for the Bridge Columns for East Side
- Work Continues with the (CIP) Cast In Place Retaining wall West of the National-Palms Station area making good progress
- Eastern Abutment for the National-Palms Bridge Eastbound Track-3 the Forms Have Just come Off and are Now Moved to the Western Abutment
- Western Abutment for the National-Palms Bridge Eastbound Track-3
- First set of Forms are up and Rebar cage is being built the Way SKANSKA is going look for Cement pour Early Nest Week
- The Location of the TPSS at National Palms Going threw Soil Tests
- Due to Rain the Last week of NOV Only Small Progress at the Mid-Span Columns for the Cloverfield-Olympic Bridge hole area was just covered in Mud
- The installation of the falsework for the Olympic/Cloverfield Bridge in the City of Santa Monica. Sunday, December 16, 2012 through Thursday, December 27, 2012
- Looks Like Work Starting near Pico for the Bridge there as the area between Sawtell and Pico is now fenced off and the work on columns can start soon
Work that is Done- Eastern Abutment Nation-Palms
- Eastern Abutment Sepulveda
- East and West Abutments at Centenella
- East and West Abutments at Cloverfield & Olympic
- OCS Foundations East from Barrington to the I-10
I Hope You Enjoy My Updates Lets All Go EXPO and Metro!
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