Flower Street construction photo gallery
5/23/10 — The view north from Jefferson shows nearly-finished embedded track and the station construction (above). The last section of track to be built west of Buckingham is this one south of 23rd (below); rails are finished over the freeway bridge.
4/4/10 — The two track switches and crossing necessary for the Expo Line to branch from the Blue Line were installed this weekend. The tracks don't yet cross Washington Blvd., though.
3/17/10 — Above is the new pair of track crossovers on Flower Street north of Venice Blvd. installed over the weekend. Weekday night work also continues, with Blue Line trains running on one track while crews reboot the rails on the other track south of Pico (below).
1/31/10 — Embedded-track grade crossings are complete at 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 28th (one of two tracks, above), and 30th Streets, and Jefferson Boulevard, leaving only Adams and Washington Boulevards along Flower Street.
1/10/10 — Special trackwork for a crossover's switches will be part of the embedded track by Trade Tech.
11/22/09 — The intersection of Flower and Washington was closed this weekend to replace a section of the Blue Line with new ties-on-ballast tracks, in preparation for adding the branch for the Expo Line farther down Flower. The section on wood ties (behind the concrete tie hanging from the crane) appears intended to be replaced with future track switches. Blue Line trains were running on the new track Monday morning — but only after morning rush hour. Click for a before photo.
11/21/09 — Here's the demolition of the Blue Line track west of the Grand Ave. station (above) and new curved rails being welded together (below) Saturday, the day before.
11/13/09 — The first embedded track is being built north and south of 30th Street.
10/7/09 — The access lane to serve the L.A. Trade Tech Flower Street garage entrances is finished (behind the temporary chain link fence), and you can see the dirt strip between curbs where the Expo tracks will go.
8/28/09 — Rails are being welded together north of Jefferson, like west of La Brea a few months ago. The background is smoke from the Station Fire in the Angeles National Forest.
8/16/09 — The weaving-pattern retaining wall behind the Jefferson station on Flower is complete.
8/11/09 — The foundation for the station at 23rd Street is beginning.
8/6/09 — Night work is being done on the Blue Line track on Washington and Flower, replacing the rubber boot around the rails. This is on Washington, west of the San Pedro station; the Blue Line was single-tracking on the south side, and workers were on the north side.
7/3/09 — The Expo Line tracks will branch from the Blue Line here to continue south across Washington Blvd., passing Los Angeles Trade Technical College (center).
7/24/07 — This “before” photo looks south on Flower Street, north of Jefferson Blvd. The Harbor Freeway and future Jefferson station site are on the left; USC's new Galen Center is on the far right.
This Expo Authority sketch shows landscaping to be added to the existing Blue Line tracks along Flower Street, looking north.
This photo is of Air Line car #1012 waiting in the Pacific Electric's old 6th and Main downtown depot, probably between 1947 and 1950 (Raymond E. Younghans collection, ERHASC/OERM; photographer not known).