Note: You can view the full album and download the original sizes here.These pics were taking yesterday, September 1, 2013.
Motor Ave falsework is completed. The bridge will be lowered onto the abutments using several small jacks after the concrete is cast. Note the curious use of wooden beams instead of steel I beams. This is looking north from Irene Street:
Looking south from the I-10 freeway:
Looking north:
East abutment:
Looking south:
West abutment:
You can see the new abutment extension (over the existing old abutment) in darker-gray concrete. It's encroaching on the sidewalk a little bit but it should be OK":
This is the view of Motor and National from near the bridge:
This is the view of the bridge from National:
This is the historic Downtown Palms at Motor and National, going back to 19th century -- some of the earliest neighborhood outside Downtown LA (along with Santa Monica), thanks to the second-earliest railroad in Southern California that went by. There is still a men's-hat store:
Fire Station across the original Palms Depot railroad station has mow been converted into an apartment building. The storage facility across the street had a rail siding and the building that preceded it until recently served as a Douglas Aircraft facility, Tootsie Roll factory, and a used-furniture store:
Palms Depot was accessed from this ramp climbing to the raised right-of-way. It was located immediately behind the storage building adjacent to the ramp. There is also a French high school now on the left side:
They are using native plants for the Fire Station apartments instead of a boring lawn. Expo Line Phase 2 will also have native plants:
The oldest tree in Palms that just fell a few days ago. It has a twin still standing:
Looking east from Barrington Ave to Pico abutment. Native grasses and weeds in the foreground. It's ready for track installation. The sound walls are only 6 ft in this area:
Looking west with the old signals in view:
Looking west over the fence at Barrington Ave, you can see the Bundy Dr ramp in view and unfortunately graffiti as well:
Same spot but the south of the sound wall, landscaping and bike-path area:
Looking east in the bike-path/landscaping area:
Reposting panoramic photo stitch of the Bundy Station:
Bundy Station structure is just huge:
Bike-path/landscaping area, looking east:
Bike-path/landscaping area, looking west:
View of Olympic and Bundy -- a major West LA business district -- from the station:
Looking south this time:
Pretty impressive falsework. Curiously, there are these hanging weights, probably being used as plumbs:
Centinela Ave bridge with precast girders:
Looking south:
Bike-path/landscaping area:
Note the Exposition Blvd sign:
We are now at the Expo Line maintenance-facility grounds at Exposition Blvd and Stewart St:
These are the tracks north of the facility, looking east from Stewart St:
Looking west across Stewart St -- a three-track railroad crossing:
Landscaping/bike-path area, however on the north side this time, looking east:
Since it's going to be a three-track segment, note the double row of OCS poles west of Stewart St:
Olympic/Cloverfield Bridge has been finished -- second bridge that was finished after the National/Palms/Exposition bridge. They are probably working on utilities on the bridge now. They probably won't remove falsework until they are done with taht, as it makes it easier to walk on the bridge safely. Looking west from the east abutment just west of 26th St:
This is the 26th/Bergamot Station:
26th will be an at-grade crossing with gates:
Start of the ramp for the bridge just west of 26th:
Clovefield:
A very long bridge:
Looking west:
Falsework is impressive:
Looking east, you can see the old rails in the ground, crossing adjacent to the south edge of the column in the median of Olympic Blvd:
Landscaping and perhaps also bike-path area:
On the eastbound lanes on Olympic Blvd, you can still see the railroad-crossing sign on the pavement from 1987:
West abutment of the bridge -- note the slope:
It amazes you to see that in certain segments along the line, there has no work been done at all. This is looking east at 19th St. No work is taking place here because it's being used as a staging yard for Skanska/Rados:
Looking west from 19th St, you can see the tracks curving toward the 17th St to leave the original private railroad right-of-way, where the train will start street running:
Looking east at 19th St toward the staging yard:
This concrete plant just west of 19th St is the secondary concrete plant for Expo, the primary one being at Exposition and Sepulveda:
Tracks approaching 17th St. I can't believe they have sound walls here:
Looking east from 17th to 19th:
This is where the trains will leave the private right-of-way and enter street running and pull to the 17th St Station. The crossing won't have gates and the trains will have to wait for a signal:
They will have parking at the southwest corner of 17th and Colorado, seen here:
Looking east:
17th St Station in the median of Colorado:
Station-parking area:
Well, guys, this is where the history ends. This is all what is left of the Pacific Electric Santa Monica Air Line now -- looking west at 16th St toward 14th St into the former Fisher Lumber yard in between. If there wasn't the building between 17th St and 16th St over the tracks, they would have used the private right-of-way until 14th St:
Looking east from 16th St:
This is the building over the tracks I am talking about, looking west at 17th St from the center of the tracks:
One more look from 17th St to the east:
Looking east from 20th St to the Olympic Blvd ramp:
Looking west from 20th St into the Skanksa/Rados staging area, you can see the old rail still in the ground:
Old signal at 20th St:
Pico Bridge -- yes, it does not exist:
This is the culprit -- a failed foundation in the median:
The falsework currently ends south of Pico at Billingsley's:
Note how the Sawtelle Blvd falsework is touching the freeway soffit. It will be a challenge to work here on the forms and rebars. Obviously the train can't squeeze there now but we will see how much actual clearance will be once they cast the span and lower it onto the abutments:
Looking north:
Sepulveda Station looking east:
Military Ave crossing with old gate pole:
Looking east from Military Ave:
Looking west from Military Ave -- no work is taking place here as the right-of-way being used as a parking lot for parking-enforcement cars:
The section of the right-of-way between Westwood Blvd and Military Ave, looking south:
I couldn't cover everything but did cover a lot. I am guessing that many of you want to ride this line as soon as possible now.