Wilshire to Shut Down for 22 Weekends for Purple Line Extension

A plan to shut down a portion of Wilshire Boulevard near the Miracle Mile for seven weeks in preparation for Purple Line rail extension construction was scrapped in favor of spreading the closures over 22 weekends, Metro announced Monday.

To prepare for construction of the extension’s first station at La Brea Avenue, Metro is planning to install concrete decking between Highland Avenue and Detroit Street that will allow traffic to continue flowing while construction takes place below.

The initially proposed seven-week shutdown of the six-block stretch had been set to begin in April, but proved unpopular during several public meetings, Metro officials said.

Metro instead opted for the 22-weekend decking schedule, which is anticipated to begin in June and will be divided into three phases.

The first phase will involve the closure of a single block from Detroit Street to La Brea Avenue over three weekends, to be followed by a second phase in which just the La Brea Avenue intersection will be closed during three weekends.

The third phase will be 16 weekends long and affect the five-block stretch from La Brea Avenue to Highland Avenue.

--City News Service, photo via Shutterstock