Building Los Angeles' Earthquake-Proof Bridge
Hoping to be able to get to LA a few more times in the next year to continue my on-going series of photos documenting the rise of the new 6th Street Bridge. This opens in 2020.
The remnants of the 6th Street Bridge Viaduct
Photos by Herman Yung
Earlier last month I was out in Los Angeles for a job and of course that meant that I needed to take some time out to visit the one place that screams Los Angeles to me -- the 6th Street Bridge (6th Street Viaduct). For years, this has been one of my favorite places in all of Los Angeles. I guess that's a bit odd considering that's it's nothing more than a slightly stinky concrete waterway that splits Downtown LA. But I loved everything about this little section of LA. First, it's an iconic movie location. Second, I grew to deal and love LA because of this place. The entire DTLA area experience for me centered around coming to this little ramp that led down to an expansive "roadway" where you could basically do whatever the heck you wanted without much trouble.
Today, of course, the ramp is closed and the iconic 6th Street Viaduct is nearly no more. It's being replaced by a much shinier and curvier bridge.
Remembering the Film Legacy of the Sixth Street Viaduct
Photo taken December 2014
I'm leaving on a jet plane today to the West Coast again. I seem to make this trip (or something very similar to it) several times a year now and I look forward to it every time. I lived in Los Angeles and that was alright, but what's really fun is leaving it for a while and then coming back to it like it's all new again.
One of the things I plan on seeing is the iconic 6th Street Bridge. Earlier this month, work started on dismantling it to make way for a brand new 6th Street Bridge. If you aren't quite sure why this bridge is so special, just read this summary of all the great movies filmed there.
For me, this bridge was Los Angeles. It was centrally located in one of my favorite parts of LA -- a part that was cemented in me ever since seeing the infamous Terminator 2 chase scene. The LA River below the 6th Street Bridge was a special place for me to find quiet and solace while I visited and lived in LA. While my experience with the bridge is quite short, a big part of me is very sad that this bridge will soon be gone.
I'm sure I'll post some photos in a few days of what's left of it.
6: A dedication to the iconic 6th Street Bridge
A part of me is incredibly sad that I'm not in LA right now to bid farewell to the iconic 6th Street Bridge. This bridge was the first place I went exploring in LA when I started going there regularly each year. It's appearance in films and TV shows and commercials made it seem familiar yet star-like all at the same time and going through that dark, dingy 6th Street tunnel to the LA River was always so cool and exciting to me. It was a true concrete paradise for me -- especially in the year that I lived in LA (I spent a lot of time here!).
This video here is a tribute to the iconic 6th Street Bridge. It was screened inside the tunnel underneath the bridge at an event hosted by LAforum and officially sanctioned by the City of Los Angeles.
RIP 6th Street Bridge: 1932-2016.
Crowds gather at 6th Street Bridge on the eve of demolition
What?! I thought the demolition was postponed to a later date!