|
|
Post by carter on Mar 27, 2011 10:58:11 GMT -8
 Sheet metal is newly installed on the eastern La Cienega stairway. Thanks for the photos Darrell. I'm trying, though, to figure out how the sheet metal works into the final product. For reference, here's a rendering:  |
|
|
|
Post by metrocenter on Mar 27, 2011 12:13:15 GMT -8
Thanks for the photos Darrell. I'm trying, though, to figure out how the sheet metal works into the final product. Recall, the rain shields were originally supposed to be made with clear plastic, but due to concerns that the plastic was not fire-resistant, they were considering switching to aluminum. I wonder if the same has been done with the clear material on the staircase. |
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Mar 27, 2011 16:45:15 GMT -8
Thanks for the photos Darrell. I'm trying, though, to figure out how the sheet metal works into the final product. Recall, the rain shields were originally supposed to be made with clear plastic, but due to concerns that the plastic was not fire-resistant, they were considering switching to aluminum. I wonder if the same has been done with the clear material on the staircase. Ah, that's am interesting point. It would really, really suck if they use aluminum panels on the bridge edges as well. |
|
|
|
Post by darrell on Mar 27, 2011 17:29:37 GMT -8
Looks like they're getting closer to putting an LRV on Expo, with the Blue Line closed past Washington station this weekend.  The temporary walkway across Flower and the tracks on the north side of Washington is removed, and grade crossing panels are being placed for the pedestrian crossing on the north of the embedded track vehicle crossing.  Here's a detail of the markings on the rails, dated just done in the last couple of days. I also noticed (no photos): * Side panels wrapped in white plastic on the south side of the ramp west of La Brea. * The sheet metal on the La Cienega stair last week is gone. Was it only to be a pattern? Did it need further fabrication? |
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Mar 27, 2011 20:12:19 GMT -8
So, what does it all mean? Are the stacks of panels you saw clear plastic or solid aluminum? Did they temporarily install the aluminum staircase just to show that it didn't look good?  |
|
|
|
Post by jeisenbe on Mar 27, 2011 21:35:44 GMT -8
If the plastic is inflammable, why not use glass? We need something to keep the rain off. As we have been reminded in recent days, it does in fact rain in Los Angeles.
For the stairway, it would look fine without any additional siding. For safety they need something with gaps less than 3 inches apart, so little kids can't fall out or get their heads stuck, based on current safety standards. A metal or wire grid or mesh or slats would work, as would solid glass or plastic.
|
|
|
|
Post by darrell on Mar 28, 2011 11:24:14 GMT -8
Are the stacks of panels you saw clear plastic or solid aluminum? They appeared to be mounted in position, not stacked. But I had a poor view driving along Jefferson; it'll take a side trip to look more closely. |
|
|
|
Post by matthewb on Mar 29, 2011 10:56:44 GMT -8
Glass and plastic would be more noticeable when scratched, while aluminium could have reasonable anti-graffiti coating put on it. It would still get scratched, but it wouldn't bother me as much.
|
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Mar 29, 2011 11:08:00 GMT -8
There was a stack of some panels at La Cienega but couldn't tell what they were. They could be the sun/rain shields. Nothing installed on the bridge yet. We are now two and a half months away from substantial completion but it's surprising how much work is still left -- lots of more street reconstruction, traffic-light installation, station work -- especially for aerial stations, utility work, and so on. This contractor is sure a big-time procrastinator. I don't know how they will be able to finish all this work in two and a half months. A lot of street reconstruction is indeed taking place now. They are installing new traffic signals. There was a new traffic signal at the Buckingham Road gates, to prevent vehicles from stopping on the tracks. There is also a new no turn on red and a new red arrow at Exposition/Crenshaw. Farmdale Station platforms have completed concrete work and they are starting tiling. They have almost finished paving on Exposition near La Brea but still there is a lot of work going on there. Still a lot of landscaping work remains. Venice/Robertson Station was having its staircases installed. Still no track or OCS installation there. Huge new piles of soil were up near Bagley -- don't know what they're for. We weren't aware of this testing:    I don't know if the OCS is powered or this is only a mechanical test. Electronics signs at the Western Station were on but unfortunately the camera wasn't able to capture the flickering LED display fully:   Train-control lights (-, |, \) are now uncovered for train testing. And here is an unfortunately blurry drive-by of a Ginkgo biloba Princeton Sentry tree, which I hadn't even expected to be framed:  |
|
|
|
Post by crzwdjk on Mar 29, 2011 13:39:53 GMT -8
Those are likely mechanical tests of the catenary to make sure that it's properly aligned above the track, that the train's pantographs won't hit anything, and that there's adequate clearance from the pantographs. This is a necessary step before they can do the electrical tests and try powering on the overhead to make sure nothing catches fire when they do. They can do this concurrently with clearance tests that use towed trains, and once both clearance tests and electrical tests are done, they can start running trains under their own power, which is probably the easiest way to test things like grade crossing equipment and some parts of the signal system.
|
|
|
|
Post by jamesinclair on Mar 29, 2011 22:01:48 GMT -8
Has any work been done on the bike trail?
|
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Mar 30, 2011 7:33:13 GMT -8
Has any work been done on the bike trail? Remember that for Phase 1, there is only a Class 1 (secluded) bike and pedestrian trail west of La Cienega. Between La Cienega and Vermont, it's Class 2 (painted lanes on the side of the street). East of Vermont there is nothing at all. Yes, they have started working on the bike and pedestrian path next to the tracks in Culver City. They are currently putting the subgrade. I haven't seen any Class 2 bike-lane paintings on Exposition and Jefferson Boulevards east of La Cienega yet, probably because they are not done with the final paving in most places. |
|
|
|
Post by bzcat on Mar 30, 2011 11:07:23 GMT -8
I saw the staircase for Venice/Robertson (I assume?) being delivered on the back of a huge flatback truck this morning on the 405 freeway.
|
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Mar 30, 2011 12:01:00 GMT -8
I saw the staircase for Venice/Robertson (I assume?) being delivered on the back of a huge flatback truck this morning on the 405 freeway. Yes, both stairwells are in place as of today. They were installing the second one this morning. No rail installation there yet unfortunately. They did the hard part of the job, building the superstructure, in blazing speed, but they are now very slow in putting on the amenities. Perhaps they are waiting for back-ordered parts. |
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Mar 30, 2011 12:13:09 GMT -8
It turned out what Darrell saw at the La Cienega Station was not a wrapped stack of panels but a wrapped stack of map and information boxes. But I did saw the stairwell panel #1 installed today at the La Brea Station. They decided to go with painted metal. They don't look as good as the originally designed clear panels. Here are the pics of the east stairs:   La Brea Station currently looks like this. It will look horrible if I they install solid panels in the frames. I hope they go with clear panels or wire-mesh fences:  Here is what appears to be either a traction-power substation or a train-control-equipment room at the east abutment of the La Brea Station:  Finally, as you see, the Vermont Station is already boarding.  |
|
|
|
Post by metrocenter on Mar 30, 2011 12:36:52 GMT -8
La Brea Station currently looks like this. It will look horrible if I they install solid panels in the frames. I hope they go with clear panels or wire-mesh fences: I find it hard to believe that aluminum was the only viable replacement for translucent panels. Surely there exists some clear-ish material out there that is not flammable. The elevator is boxed in glass. Maybe the issue is cost? If the pictures are any indication, the metal panels are going to look very cheap and ugly. (The rest of the construction looks very good, BTW.) |
|
|
|
Post by James Fujita on Mar 30, 2011 14:07:33 GMT -8
Well, they could find a way to add art to the stairwell. Paint or etch the aluminum. Or they could use this stuff. ;D |
|
|
|
Post by matthewb on Mar 30, 2011 17:35:36 GMT -8
I think the aluminum on the stairs is maybe not as nice as glass, but more or less fine. I'm not so sure about in the panels along the aerial station. Blocking line of sight to the station makes waiting for a train a lot more boring, and more visibility means increased safety.
|
|
|
|
Post by carter on Mar 30, 2011 18:01:00 GMT -8
La Brea Station currently looks like this. It will look horrible if I they install solid panels in the frames. I hope they go with clear panels or wire-mesh fences: I find it hard to believe that aluminum was the only viable replacement for translucent panels. Surely there exists some clear-ish material out there that is not flammable. The elevator is boxed in glass. Maybe the issue is cost? If the pictures are any indication, the metal panels are going to look very cheap and ugly. (The rest of the construction looks very good, BTW.) Yeah, I'm disappointed too that they went with aluminum panels. But Gokhan(?) said they would be painted, though. If they go with Expo light blue, it might not bee so bad. Above all, it seems totally incoherent to have an artistic and painted frame for a staircase if you're just going to cover it up. I guess that's the consequence of the flammability problem. |
|
|
|
Post by jamesinclair on Mar 30, 2011 19:29:03 GMT -8
As someone else mentioned, people want to feel safe, and clear panels = more eyes = more safe. Why use any material at all? Simply metal bars are cheaper + provide visibility (for the stairs). And nothing is needed across from the tracks. Look at Miami. maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Miami,+FL&aq=0&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=33.160552,69.873047&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Miami,+Miami-Dade,+Florida&ll=25.739522,-80.239175&spn=0.0046,0.008529&z=17&layer=c&cbll=25.739522,-80.239175&panoid=p61lj4OIbe763_3e0gKTog&cbp=12,23.4,,0,-5.27 Boston stairs (the tracks are in the middle, so walls are needed) maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=02215&aq=&sll=25.734962,-80.231009&sspn=0.036803,0.068235&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Boston,+Massachusetts+02215&ll=42.366785,-71.067587&spn=0.000951,0.002132&z=19&layer=c&cbll=42.366877,-71.067563&panoid=jMxsjUsPfWBHgDif2IYY4A&cbp=12,227.32,,0,-17.11 [. East of Vermont there is nothing at all. . Hopefully as soon as California approved the 2011 MUTCDs, sharrows can be painted east of vermont. |
|
|
|
Post by darrell on Mar 30, 2011 22:05:51 GMT -8
I loved Gokhan's photos of the pantograph-mounted trucks yesterday! It looks like the front one is testing the whole width of the top clearance. Here's my crop:  It turned out what Darrell saw at the La Cienega Station was not a wrapped stack of panels but a wrapped stack of map and information boxes. No, what I was referring to were some sort of panels installed on the south side of the western La Brea ramp, wrapped in white. |
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Mar 31, 2011 7:31:55 GMT -8
Certainly it's an interesting test. They are probably checking for electrical conductivity as well as possible shorts within the whole clearance area. No, what I was referring to were some sort of panels installed on the south side of the western La Brea ramp, wrapped in white. Are you referring to the bridge sound walls for the apartment complexes there? They are the same as the sound walls at other places. |
|
|
|
Post by darrell on Mar 31, 2011 9:55:09 GMT -8
Are you referring to the bridge sound walls for the apartment complexes there? They are the same as the sound walls at other places. Probably yes. But what I saw in a glance while driving by on Jefferson appeared wrapped in white plastic, unlike the precast concrete soundwall panels elsewhere. |
|
|
|
Post by darrell on Mar 31, 2011 11:37:59 GMT -8
And here's one by Presley of the major reconstruction of the Crenshaw intersecttion on 3/23/11.  |
|
|
|
Post by thanks4goingmetro on Mar 31, 2011 15:49:33 GMT -8
Rode near this intersection last weekend and they were at it, came by the next day (Sunday for Leimert Art Walk) and it was reopened with the new traffic signals and LED train sign not to mention a much smoother ride over the tracks and a sane way to left turn from Crenshaw to Exposition Blvd. The week before I came by on bike and saw Crenshaw station has the power on as the train traffic signals were lit red. I still think its questionable that the traffic load of Crenshaw Blvd is compatible with a level crossing at what will be a high frequency (though in its defense there was a looong traffic light there anyway), it's not as busy on off peak times as my streets Venice or La Cienega but it's definitely an arterial road for a whole heap.
|
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Mar 31, 2011 16:19:04 GMT -8
This one is a near-side split platform, meaning that the trains will come to a full stop and wait at the station before they enter the intersection. It will work, as long as they don't forget to put traffic lights on both sides of the tracks so that the cars don't wait on the tracks at red light. Surprisingly there are no traffic lights on the south side of the tracks yet and cars are still sitting on the tracks at red light.
|
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Mar 31, 2011 16:33:39 GMT -8
|
|
|
|
Post by darrell on Mar 31, 2011 17:09:01 GMT -8
Are you referring to the bridge sound walls for the apartment complexes there? They are the same as the sound walls at other places. Probably yes. But what I saw in a glance while driving by on Jefferson appeared wrapped in white plastic, unlike the precast concrete soundwall panels elsewhere. Here's more (but no camera, sorry): The panels are 3/4-inch-thick clear plastic, I'd guess the same polycarbonate that is used for bank teller bullet-proof windows. Still mostly in their white protective plastic film, so far they're installed (1) on the top half of the concrete soundwalls near grade crossings at Buckingham and Farmdale, and (2) full-height along the south side of the entire west ramp of the La Brea bridge. Yet to be answered: Are they scratch- or graffiti-resistant? Will they be covered with a sacrificial plastic protective film? |
|
|
|
Post by Gokhan on Mar 31, 2011 17:32:11 GMT -8
The panels are 3/4-inch-thick clear plastic, I'd guess the same polycarbonate that is used for bank teller bullet-proof windows. Can we get polycarbonate sound walls for Phase 2 instead of concrete? It would probably be cheaper too. |
|
|
|
Post by rajacobs on Mar 31, 2011 20:41:58 GMT -8
What a great suggestion! Half inch polycarbonate sound walls instead of concrete, as far as I'm concerned, would perfectly address the issue of cutting the neighborhood west of Overland in half!
Maybe this is something that NFSR could even get on board with...
|
|
