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Post by darrell on Apr 17, 2013 13:28:12 GMT -8
Very cool video by Dwight of rebar cage arriving on really big truck!
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 18, 2013 12:11:56 GMT -8
Three in, two more to go:
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 18, 2013 12:51:39 GMT -8
Here is the " can-opener bridge," which has a clearance of only 11 ft 8 in. Watch the video to see what happens when trucks go under it. The clearances of new Expo bridges is 18 ft, I believe. This is probably also the clearance for the OCS wires. However, the old and new Palms/National/Exposition Blvds brides have only 15 ft clearance. The new Motor Ave bridge will probably also have a 15 ft clearance like the old bridge.
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 20, 2013 15:35:55 GMT -8
According to a recent notice by Expo, the Palms/National/Exposition Bridge will be finished sometime between mid-May and late May. I think it will be the first bridge that will be completed.
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Post by Alexis Kasperavičius on Apr 20, 2013 16:03:17 GMT -8
One of the benefits of building a massive train project on the west side is that it's the home to many people in the film industry, and of course they take notice - and shoot it!
Here's a video by the same guy who shot the Motor Ave bridge destruction. Really beautifully shot piece showing the building of the Expo bridge over Sepulveda with time lapse and great views of the workers building this thing.
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Post by darrell on Apr 22, 2013 9:16:56 GMT -8
Dwight's video last night of the big crane and drill moving to the middle of Venice Blvd. - like watching two elephants walk a tightrope!
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 22, 2013 12:29:21 GMT -8
Granular backfill material used for the ramps. Photo taken from Exposition Blvd west of Bagley Ave: Crane and drill rig are both in place for the construction of the last two CIDH piles in the median of Venice Blvd. It should be done in about a week. The relocation of the fiber/cable lines also seen is taking place rather slowly:
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Post by culvercitylocke on Apr 24, 2013 16:20:30 GMT -8
concrete forms are on 16L now.
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 24, 2013 16:25:22 GMT -8
The short span of the new Palms/National/Exposition bridge has now been finished. It looks like they remove the concrete forms only after about 48 hours. The whole bridge should be finished in a couple of weeks:
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 24, 2013 19:54:56 GMT -8
Was at the project meeting tonight.
Everything is going as planned. The revenue operations is still scheduled for 2015.
They will lay the rail except at the crossings. The CPUC matter is still unresolved, as well as the CA Supreme Court.
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Post by joshuanickel on Apr 25, 2013 3:59:45 GMT -8
Expo has posted to their website the bids that have been received from each of the teams that are bidding on the maintenance facility project that were opened on April 23rd. All of the bids received are over the estimate originally given by the engineers: www.buildexpo.org/opportunities-2/www.buildexpo.org/pdf_uploads/comm_idv8vw33hk.pdfEngineering Estimate: $87,950,737.93
Hensel-Phelps/Herzog, J.V.: $109,200,000 Kiewit Builders: $99,930,560 Skanska/StaceyWitbeck/Rados, J.V.: $116,015,000 Walsh Construction: $107,487,000 |
It had been said in the past that Expo hoped to approve the contract for the maintenance facility at their May meeting, but with the bids coming in so high over the estimate, will that be possible now? Or will Expo go back and try to rebid the project?
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 25, 2013 13:42:54 GMT -8
The last two holes for the Venice Bridge are being drilled: The emergency stairs are now being covered up with tarp and wood for the installation of the falsework and I cannot get there any more. They brought the yellow concrete form to the area but it hasn't been placed over any of the rebar cages as of today:
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 25, 2013 14:28:40 GMT -8
I was happy to learn that the Exposition/Sepulveda concrete plant is supplying most of the concrete for the Expo Phase 2 construction. They are also using the small concrete plant at Expo/19th in Santa Monica to a much lesser extent.
Ironically, Expo Line will also be the demise of the Exposition/Sepulveda concrete plant, as it prompted the largest TOD along the line -- Casden residential and commercial project -- at its location. Casden (a USC trustee) bought the plant for $75 million during the planning phase of Expo Phase 2.
Meanwhile, some nearby residents are fighting the Casden project, claiming that it's too big.
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 25, 2013 14:40:29 GMT -8
I was also told that the LADWP officials were always portraying the relocation of the overhead power lines as a nightmare and saying how it would take many, many years, but then the LADWP workers themselves were saying it was only a piece of cake, they did this stuff all the time, and they would finish it in a month or two. They were then quickly finding clever ways themselves to reroute the cables and finishing the job in a few months. Now, we know the only reason jobs don't get done is bureaucracy.
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Post by culvercitylocke on Apr 25, 2013 15:38:19 GMT -8
fee for service model of billing, so saying it will take years nets LADWP massively more money than fee for performance/value. It taking LADWP years is their greed at play and is the same reason health care costs are so high in this country.
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Post by Alexis Kasperavičius on Apr 25, 2013 15:40:04 GMT -8
From Dwight in the Field: ----------
The metro board voted today on the official station names for Expo Phase 2. One last minute change did occur in Changing Expo/Westwood to Westwood/Rancho Park by Zev Yaroslavsky. Here are all the official names:
Official Station Name
-Palms -Westwood/Rancho Park -Exposition/Sepulveda -Exposition/Bundy -26th Street/Bergamot -17th Street/Santa Monica College -Downtown Santa Monica
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Post by bzcat on Apr 25, 2013 15:52:29 GMT -8
Westwood/Rancho Park is a terrible name. It should be just Rancho Park.
People will think it is in Westwood but it is referring to Westwood Blvd. It reminds me of the terrible Anaheim station on the Blue line.
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Adrian Auer-Hudson
Junior Member
Supporter of "Expo Light Rail - Enabler for the Digital Coast".
Posts: 65
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Post by Adrian Auer-Hudson on Apr 25, 2013 19:45:44 GMT -8
Westwood/Rancho Park is a terrible name. It should be just Rancho Park. People will think it is in Westwood but it is referring to Westwood Blvd. It reminds me of the terrible Anaheim station on the Blue line. And, Santa Monica does not need the "Downtown" prefix.
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Post by RMoses on Apr 25, 2013 21:05:57 GMT -8
From Dwight in the Field: ---------- The metro board voted today on the official station names for Expo Phase 2. One last minute change did occur in Changing Expo/Westwood to Westwood/Rancho Park by Zev Yaroslavsky. Here are all the official names: Official Station Name -Palms -Westwood/Rancho Park -Exposition/Sepulveda -Exposition/Bundy -26th Street/Bergamot -17th Street/Santa Monica College -Downtown Santa Monica Minor, in the big scheme, but the choice of names befuddles me. Ever heard of " Keep It Simple Stupid?"
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Post by TransportationZ on Apr 25, 2013 21:48:13 GMT -8
It should be: -Palms -Rancho Park -Expo/Sepulveda(But referred to as just "Sepulveda" on signs) -Expo/Bundy(Referred to as just "Bundy" on signs) -Bergamot (26th/Bergamot also works) -17th/SMC <--- No need to spell out SMC. If you don't know what SMC is, you wouldn't or shouldn't worry about it. -Santa Monica
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 26, 2013 11:01:24 GMT -8
Guys, this is a construction thread. This discussion was already taking place at another thread. Could you move it back there please?
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 26, 2013 11:10:22 GMT -8
No pics but the yellow form is now around the steel cage for the westbound track by the end of the existing bridge. The form is only a few inches wider than the cage. I am guessing concrete pour tonight or soon.
They also brought a steel cage to the Venice Blvd median. It should go in place tonight -- or soon.
The lighted sign on Venice now says the construction will be completed in October. Perhaps things are moving faster than they expected.
A lot of people going westbound from National Blvd to Palms Blvd are running the red light there, perhaps because of frustration with the lane closure. Last evening someone ran a red light again after perhaps four seconds after it turned red and almost hit a car. I and another pedestrian were trying to cross the street as well. Luckily, there was a cop car and they nailed her in front of her apartment building, only two blocks away.
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Post by gatewaygent on Apr 26, 2013 16:06:45 GMT -8
Does construction seem to be going so fast that the legal issues with the crossings will be what keeps the project at a stand still? This has probably been addressed before, but couldn't Metro/Expo petition the state to complete the crossings and run empty, through-running trains to Santa Monica as a demonstration model?
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Post by rajacobs on Apr 26, 2013 17:02:42 GMT -8
...So this afternoon, Friday, about 2:30PM, I saw concrete being poured atop the Palms-National bridge ...finally!!
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 26, 2013 18:55:24 GMT -8
Does construction seem to be going so fast that the legal issues with the crossings will be what keeps the project at a stand still? This has probably been addressed before, but couldn't Metro/Expo petition the state to complete the crossings and run empty, through-running trains to Santa Monica as a demonstration model? Trains can't be run without CPUC approval, empty or not. However, I expect this to be resolved right after the CA Supreme Court case -- around September or so -- and it shouldn't delay the project.
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 26, 2013 18:57:06 GMT -8
expolinefan also gave me heads-up on the concrete pour. I didn't walk today and missed it.
This means the bridge will be completed in two weeks or so.
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 29, 2013 10:58:48 GMT -8
expolinefan said that they were having problems with the two holes in the Venice Blvd median.
No visible change in the Palms/National/Exposition Bridge yet. A lot of underground utility work has started in the area.
They are now getting started on the TPSS in Palms (Clarington Ave) as well.
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 29, 2013 17:21:47 GMT -8
Palms/National/Exposition Bridge is curing: Concrete structurally cures in less than 48 hours, but forms are still stuck on the surface and pulling them early peels off the concrete and results in poor surface finish. They pulled the forms on the short span too quickly and the resulting finish was hideous. They were working on to resurface it this morning. I don't think they will risk such a horrible finish on the main span and will wait for at least a week. They are preparing for falsework construction at the end of the existing Venice Blvd Bridge.
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 30, 2013 12:06:17 GMT -8
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Post by rajacobs on Apr 30, 2013 12:28:23 GMT -8
Why problematic... What did the drillers find underground? I remember a long time ago when I was a state highway inspector on a lighting project along Cleveland's Memorial Shoreway, since it was fill-land, we encountered washing machines, pieces of a junked car ...it seemed as if every other day the contractor legitimately was asking that the work be deemed extra cost ("force-account"). ...But I doubt there are any washing machines or junked cars under Venice Bl. Any idea what the issues are?
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