Phase 1 Construction

"The concept for the Exposition Transit Parkway has historical roots in Olmsted and Bartholomew's 1930 plan for Parks Playgrounds and Beaches of Los Angeles. ... Translating this plan into a 21st century model of a transit parkway is the basis for a new set of guiding principles for the Mid City/Exposition LRT Project." (2005 Final EIS/EIR Executive Summary, page 15)

This Expo Authority sketch shows the landscaping to be added to the existing Blue Line along Flower Street (construction photo gallery, updated 1/31/10).

(click images to open construction photo galleries)

The eastern half of the Flower Street bridge over the Harbor Freeway was demolished (construction photo gallery, updated 1/5/10), to be rebuilt to carry the Expo Line tracks (Expo Authority photo).

This Expo Authority image shows the station between USC and Exposition Park (looking east) at the western end of the Flower-Figueroa underpass (construction photo gallery, updated 2/23/10).

Mid-corridor finds much of the track now installed (construction photo gallery, updated 2/5/10).

Click for a construction photo gallery (updated 3/4/09) of the La Brea bridge, the first bridge begun.

Expo Authority image looking south at the La Cienega bridge and station (construction photo gallery, updated 2/23/10). The arched span and sloped columns reflect the Urban Design Committee's requests.

National Blvd.'s southern Ballona Creek bridge was demolished for a wider bridge to carry all four lanes (July 2008).

The new Expo Line bridge will cross above La Cienega, National/Jefferson, and the historic railroad bridge (left), then come to grade east of Hayden (construction photo gallery, updated 2/23/10).

National's northern bridge will be for bicycles and pedestrians only, to the new bike path on the north side of the tracks.

In November 2007 the Metro Board approved programming $50 million in Proposition 1B funds for the Culver City aerial station, and authorized staff to apply for these funds so this station could be part of Expo phase 1. Caltrans approved the the $50 million funding in March 2008. Its columns are now well under construction. (construction photo gallery, updated 2/23/10).

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