Politics & Government
National Bridge Construction Starts for Expo
Some turn and traffic lanes will close temporarily during the year-long construction project at the westbound 10 Freeway offramp to National Boulevard.
This story was updated at 1:30 p.m. Monday to correct factual errors reported by City News Service. See note below.
One of the first major construction projects for the extension of Expo Line tracks to Santa Monica will begin next week, as construction begins to build an overpass next to the old Southern Pacific rail bridge over National Boulevard in Palms.
Starting Monday, nighttime crews will restripe the intersections of National Boulevard at Manning Avenue and at Exposition Boulevard. On Tuesday, crews will work in the daytime to relocate traffic signals, with bridge construction starting Wednesday, according to a construction notice.
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Traffic on the westbound Santa Monica (10) Freeway offramp to National will also be realigned, Metro officials said. Some left turns at those intersections will be prohibited during the year-long construction project. Some traffic lanes will also be temporarily closed, a construction notice stated.
Metro officials pledged to monitor and reduce excessive noise and dust, and said access to local businesses at the busy intersections will be maintained.
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Work to build a bridge for the Expo line over Olympic Boulevard at Centinela Avenue in West Los Angeles is already underway, and crews demolished the Motor Avenue bridge in July.
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The $1.5 billion Expo Line extension, scheduled for completion in 2015, will allow light rail trains to travel from downtown Los Angeles past the current terminus, in Culver City, to downtown Santa Monica.
Construction is also underway on the "Regional Connector" which will extend the Expo and Blue lines under the L.A. Civic Center to allow through-train service to Pasadena and east Los Angeles. MTA estimates that 64,000 people will use the 15.2 mile Expo Line daily once it is completed.
Some residents have sued to force trains to be carried on new viaducts over some streets in West Los Angeles, but the state Court of Appeal ruled against that. The state Supreme Court has accepted the case for review.
— Patch editor Jenna Chandler contributed to this report.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the Old Southern Pacific rail bridge would be demolished. A new light rail bridge will be built next to the existing bridge.
