Construction Updates

[darrell]

damiengoodmon said:

3 billion for this corridor may not be "cost effective" by the most stringent definition. (And let's see how that definition is altered 20 years from now, and comparatively how much would just two HOV lanes on the 101 cost to construct?)

1.5-2B for 15 miles and 65-100K riders: hard to see how it's not worth every penny.

Agreed about the cost of freeways. And one Blue Line track carries more people at rush hour than two freeway lanes.

But $1.5-2B for 15 miles of fully-grade-separated rail has to be way low.

damiengoodmon said:

But the most fascinating part of the politics that went into that diversion of course was that after the methane ban was passed, discussion of bringing the Red Line out of the tunnel and onto aerial tracks lasted a total of 5 minutes before it was taken off the table, due to residential and business community resistance (blight of aerial).

Everything I read indicates that the anti-subway sentiment then was largely due to severe surface disruption of subway construction (no where near as large a problem any more) and MTA incompetence: cost-overruns, shady work, and corrupt contractors.

Aerial rail above a boulevard median has a lot of visual impact, especially on a landmark like Wilshire. And monorails aren't much better, especially at stations.

That's a good summary. The turning point to me was when the Red Line opened to North Hollywood. Suddenly the news stories changed from cost-overruns and sinkholes to not enough parking, a problem of ridership success.

damiengoodmon said:

1st and 3rd aren't narrow? Art just specified his concerns with some portions.

I think it was Zev, who said during the Expo Board discussion where the Expo Authority staff - get this - said Venice Blvd was too narrow to fit light rail tracks at grade that he thought it was peculiar that MTA could squeeze them on 1st and 3rd, but Expo didn't think it was possible to fit them down Venice.

The tunnel's under 1st, because it's significantly narrower than 3rd.

The question about Venice is whether to remove traffic lanes. The 2001 Draft EIS/EIR proposed at-grade tracks in the median of Venice, but removed one of three lanes in each direction. What we heard last fall from Steve Polechronis' presentation was the traffic impacts on Venice may be too great, resulting in aerial rail to keep all lanes.

There were also three lanes in each direction on 3rd Street, which look to end up as two. Probably less traffic, though.

[damiengoodmon]

darrell said:

But $1.5-2B for 15 miles of fully-grade-separated rail has to be way low.

1) I'm talking late 90s/early 2000 numbers.

2) Again, here are various ways to save hundreds of millions of dollars to a billion on a 15 mile right-of-way alignment (then and now):
-Reduce the number of stations by 25-50%
-Construct open trench stations instead of deep cut-and-cover stations
-Build portions or all in cut-and-cover tunnels and/or trench (that's the major change between then and now)

The point again is with most abandoned ROWs there are more options - more space to work and operate the train.

3) As I've said a million times, the tunnels themselves are not the great expense - it's the stations. Red Line MOS-3 (Hollywood to North Hollywood) tunneling contracts (not including stations) came in around 40-45M per mile (it's a testament to technology how this number has remained nearly consistent). Track work: another $15-20M. Stations: $60-90M. Then add in all your goodies (bridge widenings, sidewalk improvements, parking structures), that the cities/CRA/local BIDs should be paying for, but I digress.

Aerial rail above a boulevard median has a lot of visual impact, especially on a landmark like Wilshire. And monorails aren't much better, especially at stations.

Of course I don't disagree, and my point has been made re: equity, politics, and some areas political strength vs. others.

Additionally, I'm just not of the belief that I can more highly value visual impact on a commercial corridor than I can noise impact on a residential corridor. Indeed, every environmental standard (local, state and federal) places more protection on residential areas noise impacts, than visual impacts on commercial corridors.

The question about Venice is whether to remove traffic lanes. The 2001 Draft EIS/EIR proposed at-grade tracks in the median of Venice, but removed one of three lanes in each direction. What we heard last fall from Steve Polechronis' presentation was the traffic impacts on Venice may be too great, resulting in aerial rail to keep all lanes.

Which is total B.S. because Venice Blvd has the benefit of parkways that in most (but admittedly not all) portions measure 20-25 feet EACH. That's 40-50 feet of extra ROW where in most portions only 25 is needed.

The point of course is if it can be jammed into Expo between Arlington and Figueroa (ALONG WITH 2 bike lanes) with its 5-8 foot sidewalks, it should have been evaluated down Venice as part of the Phase 2 study. Along with the fact that it harms the credibility of the engineers, and breads contempt from the public when they just off the bat claim B.S. like its not feasible without taking a lane.

You along with most other people in this forum has seen the Expo Authority's esponse to my request for the properties they claim would need to be taken to fit it within the ROW if the line were built at-grade. They simply refused to supply them.

[darrell]

damiengoodmon said:

You along with most other people in this forum has seen the Expo Authority's esponse to my request for the properties they claim would need to be taken to fit it within the ROW if the line were built at-grade. They simply refused to supply them.

Let's move this over to the Expo phase 2 thread.

[art]

jfujita said:

art said:

Actually james, I agree with you on the importance of the Little Tokyo station, which I will use too. My problem (which is more with the alignment curving rather than heading straight) is that the LT station should be a couple dozen yards to the east of Alameda bisecting that empty lot the city owned, rather than along Alameda. By doing this they wouldve shortened the trip, saved money by using city property rather than a congested street edge, allowed enough room east of the Alameda/1st intersection to enable a smoother and more feasable connection to the Downtown connector, and mitigated the funky traffic issue that will arise with trains crossing the 1st street/Alameda intersection. Plus, considering the DTC city hall station, this idea adds a littel bit more space between stations (not much though).

Since, in the alignment reconfiguration i note here, the station is only a few dozen yards East of its current location, the LT community would still be extremely accessable. So Im not advocating the removal of the LT station, Im just saying it coulve been done better.

well, it's a moot point since the Little Tokyo station is going to be built where it is going to be built, and I'm perfectly happy with where it's going to be built, thanks ;D

although I'm wondering about that "few dozen yards east" business. two dozen yards would be enough to get you to the Nishi Hongwanji temple, and three dozen would bring you to the other side of Vignes. while that may not seem like a lot, you have to keep in mind that most of Little Tokyo is west of 1st/Alameda. so, if your final destination is Nijiya Market, add a couple of dozen yards to your total walking. that's a reasonable distance for somebody my age, a good walk for my mother, a little too far for my obachan. and this is Los Angeles, where people HATE to walk.

as for the DTC, there's still plenty of time to get those issues worked out. I'm supporting alternative six partially because it'll be mostly underground, but also because the new San Pedro Street station location might actually be better for Little Tokyo than the current one. (just down the block from an awesome manga store? yes, please!)

I dont understand what your getting at, because you're fine with the Little Tokyo station I shouldnt voice my opinion on the alignment on a transit forum? I think this forum is the best place to voice these kind of notions, and a response knocking my opinion with no factual basis kind of confuses me. It's good you like the station, how does that somehow dismiss the numerous reasons I would prefer it a few dozen yards east of its location on alameda? I also dont see how hoping for the best with the DTC somehow negates the concerns I have about it as well.

Just to clarify, the block between Alameda and Vignes is around a quarter mile long, which is a lot longer than a couple dozen yards. A couple dozen yards means basically running down the center of the empty lot on the northeast corner of 1st and Alameda, not near the temple, not near vignes. A couple dozen yards east means: A couple dozen yards, which will have absilutely no effect on connectivity beyond an extra 45 seconds fo walking which can mitigated in terms of comfort by a shade tree canopy.

Again, easier access for the future DTC (instead of wasting money later), less traffic interference, quicker trip with less curves.

[James Fujita]

art said:

jfujita said:

well, it's a moot point since the Little Tokyo station is going to be built where it is going to be built, and I'm perfectly happy with where it's going to be built, thanks ;D

I dont understand what your getting at, because you're fine with the Little Tokyo station I shouldnt voice my opinion on the alignment on a transit forum? I think this forum is the best place to voice these kind of notions, and a response knocking my opinion with no factual basis kind of confuses me. It's good you like the station, how does that somehow dismiss the numerous reasons I would prefer it a few dozen yards east of its location on alameda? I also dont see how hoping for the best with the DTC somehow negates the concerns I have about it as well.

Just to clarify, the block between Alameda and Vignes is around a quarter mile long, which is a lot longer than a couple dozen yards. A couple dozen yards means basically running down the center of the empty lot on the northeast corner of 1st and Alameda, not near the temple, not near vignes. A couple dozen yards east means: A couple dozen yards, which will have absilutely no effect on connectivity beyond an extra 45 seconds fo walking which can mitigated in terms of comfort by a shade tree canopy.

Again, easier access for the future DTC (instead of wasting money later), less traffic interference, quicker trip with less curves.

I never said you shouldn't voice your opinions. good grief, that's completely twisting my words. have you been working on any presidential campaigns lately? (J/K)

but seriously... I did say that it was a MOOT POINT, meaning that the construction is under way, the dreaded S-curves are in place, tracks are being laid in the street; and changing now would mean tearing up and starting all over again. you may be willing to start over, but most people wouldn't be, and that's why I declared the point moot.

if I dismissed your concerns about the DTC, it's only because the DTC plans are so vague and so uncertain right now. IF they build at grade, you may have a point. if they build it underground, that should solve a lot of problems. (and besides, this is the wrong part of the forum for discussing the DTC).

and I honestly wasn't sure what you meant by "a few dozen yards." I think I got one of my calculations wrong in my original message; for that I apologize. (one yard= 3 feet, multiply by 12n, where n="a few").

but, let's suppose that change was possible. if I make a straight line from the Metro Gold Line tracks at Union Station to 1st Street, according to Google maps, the end point would be roughly at the intersection of 1st/ Hewitt. that's not bad, you might say, but it is not great from the point of view of somebody walking to Japanese Village Plaza. angle that line a little bit, and you get to the corner of 1st/ Rose, and so on.

you've said that the land between Union Station and 1st Street is city owned, so I'll take your word for it. of course, some of that land is occupied by city equipment and whatnot, but it's still city/ MTA-owned land, right?

that just leaves one question: how much time would we actually save? the distance is so short that it is hard to believe that it could shave more than a minute off the running time, even with the S-curve.

[kenalpern]

Hi, Art--I know James, and I've had disagreements with him in the past on various issues (who ever agrees with someone else on everything?) and I think you've misinterpreted his statements. He would NEVER knock your opinion and/or suggest you shouldn't bring up your ideas/opinions on this Board or any other venue. Please reread his comments, because I didn't get the same negative impression you got; I don't understand the disconnect, but I value both of your input and I suspect he values your input (even if the premises and conclusions differ from his).

I am personally flummoxed by my own difficulty to truly wrap my brain around this critical issue, because I lack the familiarity of this particular region but I've heard about this being the troublespot for this project for years.

The Transit Coalition is very busy right now, but I'd like to see a proper venue for a meeting of the minds with people like James, Art, Antonio and others who know what the heck the geography and layout and issues are better than most on this Board (myself certainly included).

The only thing I know for sure is that this DTC should be underground, that this should have 3 or 4 tracks, and should not be done half-assed.

Art, James, Antonio and anyone else familiar with this region needs to have photos and maps to help out the rest of us--so puh-leeze keep weighing in. The main reason grassroots folks understand the Green Line/LAX, Expo and other Westside/Mid-City projects is because of maps made in previous years by Friends of the Green Line, Friends4Expo, and The Transit Coalition. We need to do this for the Eastside and Downtown as well.

[James Fujita]

hey Ken- thanks for standing up for me.

I suppose I do get a bit defensive where the Little Tokyo station is concerned.
after all, it is not likely that there will be a rail line to San Pedro any time soon (and I'm willing to admit that). if I can't get a light rail line to my hometown, then the Little Tokyo station is the closest thing that I've got ;D

to be frank, I was originally a bit confused as to exactly what Art's idea was, and now that I've had a better chance to study it, I'm not sure we have much of an disagreement. to be honest, I'm still not sure I quite agree with him- there are times when it is better to sacrifice speed for convenience, and I think this is one of those times.

as for the DTC, I don't even see that as a factor for the Gold Line Extension. it's a bit like saying "If Hillary wins the election in November, who should the Republicans nominate in 2012?" when we don't even know if Hillary or Obama will be nominated or how they will do against McCain!

(and please don't give responses to that last part, it is a rhetorical, metaphorical question!)

[art]

I too do not mean to be so combative James, my apologees. I too dont expect anything to be torn apart, just letting out my thoughts on the issue. But yeah, I like James and never meant it in a fighting way, I just wanted to clarify what I meant.

[James Fujita]

on a lighter note:

I have started uploading some of my rail transit construction photos to Flickr. I don't have a lot of photos there yet, but I intend to keep adding photos.

and speaking of photos:
recently, on a different section of this message board, I had been grousing that, despite my obvious advocacy for the Little Tokyo neighborhood, I hadn't actually had an opportunity to visit the place in about three months, due to some family troubles.

well, I'm glad to say that this is no longer the case; I got my chance about a week ago. it wasn't exactly the perfect visit: every two weeks, I have been taking Amtrak's San Joaquin trains and their connector buses - up and over the Grapevine, down to Union Station and continuing south to visit my parents in San Pedro. (it's worth it to be able to not worry about my small but awkward luggage)

well, this last trip, the bus driver tells me we have a 30 minute wait at Union Station. sometimes I have killed time taking photos in the station, but this time, I tried something completely different: I left my stuff on the bus and absolutely ran out of the station, and jog-walked in a mad dash down Alameda towards 1st Street and Little Tokyo.
I made it down there and back; amazingly on time! the museum was closed (Monday), but I had enough time to grab a boba tea and take a look at the station construction. my, those rails do look nice. ;D

I took some photos but.... darn traffic gets in the way. anyhoo, whatever photos are good enough to show off will soon be on Flickr.

[roadtrainer]

roadtrainer said:

I have started uploading some of my rail transit construction photos to Flickr. I don't have a lot of photos there yet, but I intend to keep adding photos.

Link fixed!

P.S. A real update! Ist. St. bridge is open again and It look like the rails are being fastened down on the 101 freeway bridge, too.

Goodman!! Do you know how the rails were fastened down on the 710 Freeway bridge and on the First St. bridge? I heard a rumor from one of the construction workers [not necessarily with any background in engineering or industry best practices] who said "he wouldn't ride the train on the 1st. St. bridge because he disapproved of the construction procedures.!"

Sincerely The Roadtrainer

[jejozwik]

great minds think alike!

just went down the whole line today. uploaded all the photos

[James Fujita]

thanks for fixing the link ^_^

I'm afraid I haven't been able to take as many photos as jejozwik- and they have been good photos!- but I hope that I have helped to document this fascinating construction work.

[unico]

you know its pretty confusing some times. i drive down third regularly. they have a stop over by the kaiser, then right on la verne, then mednik. it just seems a lil too much. and i would think that gage would be a better fit for a stop. get rid of the la verne stop.
so it would look something like stops at atlantic, mednik(for the courts), ford(for club king taco), gage, (bypassing the pregnant girl school) then all the way to el mercadito and so forth. people in this neighborhood would have no problem walking a bit if they had to. i have countless friends that live here. when i taxi'd them around it was so easy. drive down 3rd with a stop on la verne, then herbert, then rowan, and finally to gleason and lorena. kinda mirrors the route of the train. it was a breeze. all of us are eagerly waiting the train calculating how many blocks we have to walk to the nearest stop. its fun and exciting, but we do wonder what goes into the planning aspect of it all. why the stops they chose? we just wonder. thanks for all the good info guys. i dont think many people are aware of the behind the scenes low down. thanks.
as for future routes, i have yet to see them even consider a north south route on the east side (atlantic) or a east west route on the south side (slauson or randolph) i personally beleive LRT should be in dense, public trans dependant communities that already jam the buses. they should concentrate on the areas bounded by the 10, 710, 105 and 110. then move over to the areas bounded by the 105, 405,10 and 110. and eventually make there way north along the west side into the valley for the dense areas and then maybe think aobut lines to whittier and ontario or other places further out of the city center. but like everything else... money talks. thats the only explanation i have for the fact that the pasadena line was built before the eastside line. sad state really. but i welcome any new LRT. thanks again guys.

[bobdavis]

Took a drive along 3rd St. yesterday--it's starting to look like a real electric railway. Balfour-Beatty (I think it's an English co.) is busy on the trolley wire (or OCS as it's called in official documents) and the platforms are coming along. As I've mentioned before, I'm old enough to remember the demolition of the Pacific Electric, so seeing railway construction brightens my day a lot! The wire is up between Atlantic and Rowan (which was the terminal of the LARy "P" line), so trolley power is moving into new territory.

[darrell]

Two new Eastside Gold Line photos of interest:



The terminus at Atlantic Blvd.



The eastern tunnel portal in the middle of 1st Street west of Lorena, showing how the street was excavated into the hill of the cemetary on the right. I'd thought the tracks were going to come out on the north side of 1st, not in the median.

[hermes333]

In the following article, it would appear that Boyle Heights is eagerly awaiting the opening of the Gold Line. This community seems to be embracing a light rail. I think they know the value of it from the better transportation options and development opportunities.

Matthew Hetz

CULTURE MIX
Boyle Heights goes upscale

By Agustin Gurza, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
 May 17, 2008
 On the surface, almost everything appears as it has for decades on East 1st Street in Boyle Heights, the neighborhood east of downtown known as a haven for immigrants and blue-collar families. It's mid-afternoon and a couple of tipsy men spill out of Las Palomas Bar, arms locked over their shoulders, heading toward the nearby birrieria, a restaurant specializing in goat stew. Others greet more soberly as they pass traditional mom-and-pop shops that line the thoroughfare, selling soccer trophies, mariachi outfits and secondhand clothes.

 ***The only obvious sign of impending change is the huge hole in the ground at the corner of Boyle Avenue, where the new Gold Line light-rail station will be. Nobody notices the pickup truck parked next to the construction wall or the man in a beret who unloads cardboard boxes and slips them into the side door of a corner building with no sign out front.

 His name is Guillermo Uribe and he's delivering a load of T-shirts emblazoned with the name of his new business, Eastside Luv, a wine bar for the barrio. Follow him and you will find the clues as to how this humble, hardscrabble neighborhood is being transformed by its residents.

 At night, the club founded by this one-time engineer and Boyle Heights homeboy will be packed with young Latino professionals, artists, musicians, politicians, teachers, curators and even a fellow engineer or two. In only a few months, it has become a cultural mecca in a neighborhood hungry for meccas of its own.

 "Right now, Eastside Luv is the only place to do Boyle Heights," says Fernando Cruz, a native son and regular customer. "It's the pioneer of night life in this neighborhood."

 A new nightclub may not be news for the rest of Los Angeles. But for Boyle Heights, it's like getting a slice of LA Live. For all its history, this community came up short of creating a cultural scene of its own, with clubs, cafes and art galleries that could nourish its artistic life. Aside from underground parties, the area's young people went elsewhere -- Pasadena, Alhambra, Santa Monica -- for a night on the town.

 "Why is it that we always have to leave the community to experience a legitimate night life?" asks Uribe, 37. "That's what led me back here, because there was a gap."

 ***The Gold Line extension, set to open next year, is paving the way for development in Boyle Heights and beyond. The musicians who mingle at mariachi plaza, across from Eastside Luv, might soon be sipping cappuccinos as retailers jockey for space in the new train station. Other interests have their eye on the site of the landmark Sears store farther south at Soto Street. Already under construction is a new high school and refurbished Hollenbeck police station.

 That's a total of $4 billion in current and projected plans, says Evangeline Ordaz, vice president of the East LA Community Corporation, a nonprofit serving low-income residents. The concern, of course, is that outside interests will squeeze out existing businesses, raise rents and forever change the neighborhood's deeply rooted character.

 "That's one of the things we would like to preserve," says Ordaz, who's also a playwright. "In the face of all this big development, our fear is that this sort of small business would get pushed out."

 To Uribe, that raises the specter of the dreaded 14-letter word - gentrification. "I don't want to be put under that umbrella, like some Hollywood guy coming in here with no idea about the culture or community," says Uribe, who owns the bar with his wife of 15 years, Arlene, also born and raised in Boyle Heights. "Maybe gentrification is going to take place. Who knows? But if it does, I think it's going to be by the children of Boyle Heights, people who are just proud to be back in the neighborhood."

 Three years ago Uribe left his job as a construction manager to start a nightclub. After his bid for a downtown location fell through -- "and I was just crushed" -- he found his current spot, formerly the Metropolitan. But it was a mess. Even with his do-it-yourself expertise, remodeling the 1940s cantina cost him $200,000, he says.

 The décor he calls "cholo chic." It's a mash-up of Tijuana brothel, Victorian sitting room and cool Hollywood rendezvous, squeezed into a long, narrow space of 1,200 square feet. The walls are covered with flocked wallpaper, the ceilings with decorative tin panels. The arched wine rack behind the bar, with its trestle-like storage spaces, evokes the bridges that span the nearby L.A. River. The custom chandeliers are made of stiffened chain link, evoking low-rider steering wheels.

 Many details have other cultural connections. The long, elevated bench is upholstered in black corduroy to simulate so-called wino house slippers, a gangster fashion favorite. And armchairs are wrapped in clear plastic, a tribute to abuelita's method of preserving the living room furniture. "It's all made to feel like you're in someone's house," the owner says.

 All except the chrome pole at the end of the sunken, 35-foot bar that doubles as a catwalk for the burlesque dancers who perform every Saturday. The pole is a clever disguise for the vent of a mop sink installed behind the bar, at the insistence of city inspectors.

 The bar first opened in late 2006 but was forced to close for code upgrades. It reopened late last year and recently started featuring live music, with singer-songwriter Lysa Flores performing every Friday. On a recent Thursday, the band was Lil Bastards, a rocking outfit featuring Raul Pacheo from Ozomatli and guitarist Quetzal Flores.

 The crowd was a who's who of the local Latino arts scene, including Reyes Rodriguez of Tropico de Nopal gallery; Pilar Tomkins, the Claremont museum curator; and David Reyes, author of the Chicano rock book "Land of a Thousand Dances." Customer Cruz came with his significant other, Conchita Sousa, who runs the cafe at her family's Olvera Street business, Casa de Sousa.

 Twice, Uribe recalls, customers have come back to Eastside Luv with their mothers, to show off the place. "I felt really honored," he says. "It's like they were saying, 'Look, Ma! Look what's happening in our community.' "

[e-mail]

[roadtrainer]

Here's a real construction update! ;D

As I drove along 3rd. street east of Indiana, I saw that most of the rail is laid down and the poles with the wire is strung up. There is a section of rail not laid yet and those sections are on Third St. east of Indiana, On First St. just east of the Ist St. Porthole and on the West side porthole entrance. Next to the new high school track is being laid for the switching capabilities (Boy here's a good point for those folk at Fix Expo, A new light rail station directly across from a new high school and the switching on the train from track A to track B or vise-versa!) Across the First St. bridge and near Alameda there is a small section where there is no track. There appears to have tracks mounted on the 101 flyover and no track on the approach ramp at either enturance of the bridge. There has been activity on the Goldline Platform whereas some track has been moved and some new catenaries poles had been put up and the old train stoppers have been removed from Union station and replanted over at Atlantic and Third St. in East Los Angeles. Has anyone gotten pictures of the tunnels? Are the rails mounted down yet? Has anyone got pictures on the rails mounted on the bridge? Help us out here!

Sincerely The Roadtrainer

[tonyw79sfv]

Roadtrainer, coincidentally Metro posted an update to the Gold Line Eastside extension with high res photos, including inside the tunnel. Looks so cool to see the making of an underground station like our Red/Purple Line, the rails are there, but the platforms are not there yet.

May 22, 2008 14:18:22 GMT -8 roadtrainer said:

Here's a real construction update! ;D

As I drove along 3rd. street east of Indiana, I saw that most of the rail is laid down and the poles with the wire is strung up. There is a section of rail not laid yet and those sections are on Third St. east of Indiana, On First St. just east of the Ist St. Porthole and on the West side porthole entrance. Next to the new high school track is being laid for the switching capabilities (Boy here's a good point for those folk at Fix Expo, A new light rail station directly across from a new high school and the switching on the train from track A to track B or vise-versa!) Across the First St. bridge and near Alameda there is a small section where there is no track. There appears to have tracks mounted on the 101 flyover and no track on the approach ramp at either enturance of the bridge. There has been activity on the Goldline Platform whereas some track has been moved and some new catenaries poles had been put up and the old train stoppers have been removed from Union station and replanted over at Atlantic and Third St. in East Los Angeles. Has anyone gotten pictures of the tunnels? Are the rails mounted down yet? Has anyone got pictures on the rails mounted on the bridge? Help us out here!

Sincerely The Roadtrainer

[James Fujita]

it's good to hear those construction updates. and the tunnel pictures from the MTA are excellent. I can't wait for this rail line to open!

I keep forgetting to mention this, but I was in Little Tokyo two weeks ago. (May 10-12). I must admit, it is a bit confusing as to where they have the tracks laid and why.

for example, at Union Station it looks like they have tracks laid on the bridge over the 101 Freeway, but when you get down to Alameda/ Temple, it is obvious that they don't have tracks there, but they do have tracks at the Little Tokyo station, but the curve wasn't finished. of course, this was two weeks ago.

[roadtrainer]

May 23, 2008 20:30:36 GMT -8 James Fujita said:

it's good to hear those construction updates. and the tunnel pictures from the MTA are excellent. I can't wait for this rail line to open!

I keep forgetting to mention this, but I was in Little Tokyo two weeks ago. (May 10-12). I must admit, it is a bit confusing as to where they have the tracks laid and why.

for example, at Union Station it looks like they have tracks laid on the bridge over the 101 Freeway, but when you get down to Alameda/ Temple, it is obvious that they don't have tracks there, but they do have tracks at the Little Tokyo station, but the curve wasn't finished. of course, this was two weeks ago.

;D You know down in Long Beach the built bridge like the Alameda and Temple bridge. Is is the same type..pieced together by sections and finished off in no time. But this Alameda Temple Ave. Bridge is a long, long, long time getting it done. And the reason it may be so long in getting it done might be to keep traffic off the bridge. Hey this is Los Angeles! That bridge is the Road going between Long Beach and San Pedro. It is 3 times as wide as the Metro bridge and has three lanes going east and three lanes going west. An Engineer Marvel seeing it was completed very quickly. Sincerely The Roadrtrainer

[bluelineshawn]

Are you talking about the Vincent Thomas Bridge?!? That's not the same at all.

[tonyw79sfv]

Probably the Queensway Bridge linking downtown Long Beach to the Queen Mary and ports.

[roadtrainer]

May 24, 2008 8:30:59 GMT -8 @bedlinen said:

Are you talking about the Vincent Thomas Bridge?!? That's not the same at all.

;D No the bridge is located between the Gerald Desmond bridge and the Thomas Vincent Bridge. Thomas Guide grid #824. This bridge is located at the end of the Terminal Island freeway and Ocean Blvd. The point I was trying to make was that this bridge was constructed in two parts and a heck of a lot faster. But it still the same kind of construction system. Put together block by block. Can anyone tell me when the construction started on the downtown ramp? It has been over a year or so, It is not including the Caltrans bridge built over the freeway.

Maybe it was a milk job, if you don't know what a milk job is--it is where a person deliverlly takes his time to get every once of milk out it. Ex: we have a driver whoses route time was over at 4:45pm'. He would milk it to get that extra 15 minutes. What would take 20 seconds to pull the bus into the yard would take him 45 minutes or so. Can you picture a bus pulling into the yard at a 1/2 mile an hour? Well that was one of the drivers at Diversified. Milking it every chance he got.

Sincerely The Roadtrainer

[jejozwik]

seeing how everyone is getting all crazy on the expo page, i thought its a good time to check back in with la's second expansion project.

anyone have any good positive information about our dear little eastside extension?

also anyone know if the EIR technical documents are available for this line?

[bluelineshawn]

Yes, you can access the EIR from the "News and Info" section of the gold line project site on metro's website.

Last I heard in an article last week is that they are still ahead of schedule. IIRC they were saying that they may open the line by summer 2009 instead of fall.

[jejozwik]

thanks blueline, but i have gone threw that link before posting. there are no technical drawings in any of the pdf links.

im looking for specific pathing and turn arc kinds of things. ive seen them before online for the expo and on the gold line construction authorities page for the foothill line.

[bluelineshawn]

I thought that maybe you had. Maybe they didn't include those types of preliminary drawings in the EIR?

[roadtrainer]

;D Well Here's some news.
Metro announced that the luggage ramp and the pedestrian walk way was open to the public. This is located next to the south side of Union Station which is next to the 101 freeway. And I went on Thursday the 12 of June and saw for myself that the tracks are bolted down on the bridge. Looking (northbound) at the Gold-line Platform. I could see where the rail was laying next to the west side fence of the flat-form. The roadbed for the concrete ties is getting prepared and some gravel is down there now. I don't know if the construction crews are working day or evenings. But it should be a short time when the Rail is hooked up to the Union Station side. I got some photo's that look pretty good and once I learn how to up load them ,you'll be getting them. The other good news is at the east side portal, the tracks are now crossing Lorena and are hooked up to the tunnel. Maybe somebody or myself should get some pictures real soon There are two area's where the rail is not all hooked up yet and that is along 3rd. St. and Indiana and 1st. St. and Alameda. I Will try to give you and update next week. Sincerely The Roadtrainer

[Tony Fernandez]

If you need help with those pictures I'll be glad to help; I'm really interested in seeing them.

[roadtrainer]

cid-6c21d75e600b37b6.spaces.live.com/

Try this to look at the pictures, enjoy!

Sincerely The Roadtrainer