LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles’ newest bridge, a $588 million architectural marvel overlooking the downtown skyline, opened to much fanfare on July 10. It has already been closed, much to his dismay, several times since then amid chaos and clashes.
The 6th Street Viaduct—which rises above the concrete-covered Los Angeles River to connect downtown to the historic Eastside—quickly became a hot spot for street racing, graffiti and bootlegging, drawing hundreds of spectators to watch drivers perform dangerous stunts in their vehicles.
Social media stunts also abound – in one instance, a man sat in a barber’s chair for a haircut in the middle of the alleys. And the crashes keep piling up, including a three-car crash in which a driver involved in a street grab abandoned his white Dodge Challenger and fled the scene. He later turned himself in.
The Los Angeles Police Department has closed the bridge multiple times — an exact count was not available Wednesday — and in the latest move announced Tuesday that it would be “closed until further notice due to illegal activity and public safety concerns” before backing off and reopening hours later.
Authorities hope to install bumps, guardrails and cameras on the less than three-week-old bridge to curb the behavior. In the meantime, officers impound cars and issue citations.
“We ask that everyone pause and recognize that this is a figure or a place in Los Angeles that we all want to be proud of,” Police Chief Michelle Moore said Tuesday. “We want to show the world that we are a world-class city, that we can have these characteristics and we can care for them, respect them.”
The bridge spans 3,500 feet (1,066.80 meters) from the trendy Arts District to Boyle Heights, a traditionally working-class Latino neighborhood, in the largest and most expensive bridge ever built in the city.
Known as the ‘Strip of Light’ for its thousands of LED lights and slanted arches – which have already attracted intrepid pedestrians and skateboarders – it replaced an 84-year-old Art Deco bridge. This structure, seen in countless Hollywood films including The Game and Terminator 2, was demolished in 2016 after a chemical reaction weakened its concrete over decades.
Mayor Eric Garcetti called the new bridge “our generation’s love letter to the city” during the opening weekend.
“While the mayor recognizes that celebrating this bridge is extremely positive, he has no tolerance for behavior that prevents Angelinos from enjoying this new landmark,” Garcetti’s press secretary, Harrison Wallman, said in a statement Wednesday. “The city is reviewing additional safety options and taking immediate action to ensure the bridge is safe and accessible for all.”
John Yee, executive director of the pedestrian protection organization Los Angeles Walks, said the bridge was not built to optimize the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists. It currently lacks a center median, for example, although there are discussions to add one.
And he said the closures are an attempt by city leaders to shift the discussion from poor infrastructure to street racers and other risk-takers.
“That’s the message the city is trying to send to the public: It’s not our fault, it’s their fault,” he said.
But Yee said the bridge’s design was flawed from the start: “If you provide a concrete jungle gym, then people will use it that way.”
Add Comment