Archinect - News

Copper thieves keep unplugging LA's 'Ribbon of Light' on the Sixth Street Bridge

2023-12-23T12:00:00-05:00

A large swath of the 6th Street Bridge, known as the “Ribbon of Light” because of its illuminated arches of color across the Los Angeles River, has gone dark. Copper wire thieves are to blame, city officials said, and it’s unclear when the lights for the Instagram-popular bridge will be fixed.

Other notable incidents include a deadly fall and several social media-driven impromptu street takeovers that caused damages to its road surface just weeks after the Michael Maltzan design opened in July of 2022. The damage extends over a third of the bridge.

Councilmember Kevin de León's office personally phoned in the report and says it adds to a total of $500,000 worth of stolen copper within his 14th District. As the LA Times reported, there were no less than 1,200 active copper capers across the city in the past year alone.

Meanwhile, underneath the bridge, an $82 million public space regeneration is underway from Hargreaves Jones.

$82 million park space beneath LA's new Sixth Street Viaduct has broken ground

2023-08-09T08:00:00-04:00

Just over one year after the Sixth Street Viaduct replacement made its debut, Los Angeles city officials have commenced work on 12 acres of new park spaces at the foot of the $588-million bridge.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on August 5th for the $82 million project, also known as the Sixth Street Park, Arts, and River Connectivity project (PARC). Landscape architecture firm Hargreaves Jones led the design.

Previously on Archinect: Take a look at new Iwan Baan photos of LA's Sixth Street Viaduct ahead of its grand opening

The park, which sits beneath the recently completed Sixth Street Viaduct, will include seven acres of open space on the east side of the Los Angeles River in Boyle Heights and five acres of space in the Arts District on the west side.

The Boyle Heights section will feature grass fields, picnic areas, a splash pad, event space, and sports fields and courts. The Arts District section will include a new arts plaza and river gateway, which will host spaces for performances, a café, and restrooms. Construction on PARC is expected to last around two-and-a-half years.

Los Angeles looks to crack down on street takeovers and climbing at its new Sixth Street Viaduct

2022-08-03T18:13:00-04:00

Last Friday, Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León proposed an ordinance prohibiting street takeovers, drag racing, vandalism, and climbing the arches, among others, of the recently-opened Sixth Street Viaduct.

In the three weeks, since the $588 million Michael Maltzan-designed bridge opened, it has been shut down by the LAPD, including a stretch of four consecutive nights, due to takeovers, rowdy crowds, and other dangerous activities.

Previously on Archinect: The Sixth Street Viaduct is lit, and it’s making people in Los Angeles a little too rowdy

Along with the ordinance, de León also proposed a motion to calculate the cost of periodically closing the bridge to cars for pedestrians and cyclists only. His proposal is as follows (h/t Urbanize Los Angeles):

The Bureau of Engineering to report on the resources and timeline to install cameras, fencing, signage, and traffic control mitigations to increase public safety.
LAPD and the Department of Transportation to report on t...

The Sixth Street Viaduct is lit, and it’s making people in Los Angeles a little too rowdy

2022-07-26T12:42:00-04:00

For the third consecutive night, the Los Angeles Police Department said on Twitter that it was forced to shut down the 6th Street Viaduct, saying it was due to “questionable activity.” [...] The 3,500-foot bridge that connects Boyle Heights to downtown Los Angeles has been open to traffic for just two weeks, but it’s quickly become a popular spot for street takeovers, illegal racing, dangerous stunts and vandalism.

The 'party people' took over Michael Maltzan’s brand new bridge redesign within hours of its July 9th opening. Some reports indicated that at least 250 people gathered last weekend for a second night of what the LAPD called "illegal activity," which resulted in arrests and the attempted bombing of a KTLA reporter live on air. Pro skater Meklo Rivera pulled up later to showcase some risky moves on one of the span’s many inviting concrete arches, but the cops eventually shut it down.

Some are framing this as an organic, car-free outpouring of community. In a hard-line rebuke of their viewpoint, Mayoral frontrunner Kevin de Leon said: "Angelenos deserve architecturally stunning projects in their own neighborhood, and we won’t be deterred by a few scofflaws."

Take a look at new Iwan Baan photos of LA's Sixth Street Viaduct ahead of its grand opening

2022-07-08T15:27:00-04:00

Concluding a multi-year construction effort that began with the demolition of the original 1930s Sixth Street Bridge in 2016 and saw the new structure begin to rise one year later, the City of Los Angeles is set to celebrate the opening of the largest bridge project in its history with a slew of public events this weekend, July 9th and 10th.

Spanning 3,500 feet in length, the new $588 million Michael Maltzan-designed Sixth Street Viaduct reestablishes a vital connection between Downtown LA, the Arts District, and the historic Boyle Heights neighborhood by expanding the focus of transportation from merely car traffic to also prioritize pedestrians and cyclists, offering wide sidewalks as well as 10-foot-wide Class IV protected bike lanes along each side of the viaduct. The opening of the ambitious PARC project (Park, Arts, River, and Connectivity), overseen by landscape architects Hargreaves Jones, is anticipated for 2024-25.

Photo by Iwan Baan, courtesy Michael Maltzan Architecture...

Long-awaited Sixth Street Viaduct is set to open on July 9th

2022-06-16T21:00:00-04:00

Your eyes do not deceive you: after six years, construction is set to come to a close next month for the new Sixth Street Viaduct. The $588-million structure, which spans 3,500 feet across the L.A. River between Boyle Heights and the Arts District in Downtown Los Angeles, will open to the public in a two-day celebration on Saturday, July 9 and Sunday, July 10, 14th District Councilmember Kevin de Leon announced this week.

The largest bridge project in the history of Los Angeles is finally here. Designed by a team including architect Michael Maltzan and HNTB, the Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement Project sees the creation of a new bridge, dubbed “The Ribbon of Light”, to replace the original 1932 structure. The new structure’s distinguishing feature is its LED-lit arches that reference the iconic metal arches of its predecessor. In addition to restoring an important connection between the Arts District on the west side of the Los Angeles River and the historic neighborhood of Boyle Heights on the east side, the bridge provides new sidewalks and protected bike lanes.

Previously on Archinect: Oliver Wainwright on this summer’s most-anticipated infrastructure project

With the new viaduct complete, the Bureau of Engineering will now move on to constructing a 12-acre park underneath the structure. This $40 million endeavor will provide access to the Los Angeles River, public art, recreational programming, a...

Oliver Wainwright on this summer’s most-anticipated infrastructure project

2022-05-26T14:07:00-04:00

Maltzan has taken the twin arcs and multiplied them fivefold across the 3,500ft length, hopping over railway tracks and roads as the viaduct makes its way eastwards. The result is almost surreal: seen from either end, it looks like the traces of two bouncing balls, ping-ponging their way across the valley, the arches rising to different heights according to what they are jumping over.

The Guardian critic took a tour of Downtown LA's soon-to-be-completed new Sixth Street Viaduct with architect Michael Maltzan, who said the $588 million project’s “real challenge” was to “come up with something as iconic as the original.”

Maltzan said the preservation of the bridge’s original iconic arches was a focal point for him and his team (“they were so much part of the civic memory of the city”) and added that the capacity for the project to serve as a bridge for the different social divisions that have long roiled the newly-conjoined neighborhoods was as important as its use as public infrastructure.

LA's new Sixth Street Viaduct is about to change common perspectives on public urban space

2022-03-28T12:34:00-04:00

Once it opens, construction will start on public playing fields, gathering areas, green spaces and a dog park at the foot of the bridge on the Boyle Heights side, and a performance stage and green spaces on the Arts District side. And cyclists can gear up for the fall unveiling of a 10-foot-wide bicycle lane going both directions on the bridge, which they can access from the bike lane at the river via a steep spiraling ramp. It is a ride that will take some energy.

LA architect Michael Maltzan spoke about his desire for the reborn cinematic landmark to be received as a public space that is suis generis within the available Downtown and Boyle Heights vistas, which are mostly blocked by hilly areas and typified by a lack of public space.

“The bridge is really meant to be a civic armature, to turn infrastructure into something that weaves together the city and connects communities. It's really going to be an observatory,” he told KCRW's Frances Anderton. “It gives you a different image, a different picture, a different view, a different vantage of the city that you think you know very well.”

Previously on Archinect: LA's famed 6th Street Viaduct now has its first span in place

Maltzan also discussed his built-in challenge for Angeleno cyclists, a group he counts himself among that has exploded since the beginning of the pandemic and plays a pivotal role in the city’s comprehensive 2035 mobility plan.

“You have to put in a bit of an effort to earn ...

LA's famed 6th Street Viaduct now has its first span in place

2022-01-12T19:39:00-05:00

A major milestone has taken place in the Michael Maltzan Architecture-led effort to replace Los Angeles’ iconic 6th Street Viaduct.

Construction Drive is reporting that the falsework has been removed and the first of ten spans successfully installed on the $588 million project that will eventually connect Boyle Heights to the Downtown Arts District. The installation paves the way for the disruptive six-year-long build’s much-anticipated completion, which is still on track for the end of the summer.

The bridge is one of the largest such construction projects to ever take place in the city and is seen as an important step in the connectivity improvements of the Boyle Heights community. Engineers will now begin work closing the superstructure before they can start on the installation of hangers for the next span, according to a press release from the international engineering concern COWI, that is leading the process.

“If you consider each arch span as an individual bridge, then this...

Construction update: Maltzan Architects concrete arches are coming together on the new Sixth Street Viaduct

2021-09-02T21:27:00-04:00

Concrete arches along Los Angeles’s iconic Sixth Street Viaduct are rounding into shape as one of Michael Maltzan Architecture’s signature projects nears completion.

Images courtesy City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering via Facebook

The $500 million project offers an update to the original span, which had to be demolished in 2016 owing to concerns related to its ability to withstand earthquakes due to the degradation of concrete in the original 1932 structure. (An arch from that structure was able to be preserved by the city later that year as over 1,000 components were given away in a promotion titled “Rock Day LA”.)

Images courtesy City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering via Facebook

The soon-to-be-completed replacement recently went on display at this year’s Venice Biennale will feature added green space in addition to the pedestrian walkways and the 40-foot high arches, which are now about 50% completed based on photos recently published by the city and Urbanize LA.

Images c...

L.A.'s new Sixth Street Viaduct makes construction progress and shines at the Venice Biennale

2021-06-02T17:22:00-04:00

The Michael Maltzan Architecture-designed Sixth Street Viaduct is slowly taking shape in Los Angeles as new photos by LA Times photojournalist Allen J. Schaben show.

The $588 million bridge project, the biggest in the city's history, emerged as the winning entry in the 2012 design competition for a new bridge to replace the original 1932 structure and connect Downtown LA with the Boyle Heights neighborhood across the Los Angeles River, the 101 Freeway, 18 sets of railroad tracks, and a new park.

The design team also includes HNTB (Engineer and Executive Architect), Hargreaves Associates (Landscape Architect), and AC Martin (Urban Planning).

Take a look at some recent construction snapshots below and in this recent Los Angeles Times article.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Los Angeles Times (@latimes)

Meanwhile in Italy, the Sixth Street Viaduct project is on display at the recently opened 2021 Venice Biennale in the Emerging Communities section in th...

L.A.'s 6th Street Bridge: Built by (some) women

2019-12-11T13:36:00-05:00

The 6th Street Bridge team of 170 includes 15 women — the most on any commercial project in Los Angeles and nearly double the Department of Labor’s participation goal of 6.9% female crew members.

The Los Angeles Times reports on the relatively high proportion of women construction workers helping to build the Michael Maltzan Architecture-designed 6th Street Bridge in Los Angeles. The bridge is being constructed via a joint venture between Skanska and Stacy and Witbeck. Skanska recently redesigned some of its construction site protective equipment to make the items safer for women to use

According to Bureau of Labor statistics cited in the article, the construction industry represents a rare bright spot for women with regards to pay equity, where women make 100.8% as much as men do.

Describing the number of women who are working on the project, Rosa Garcia, a carpenter on the project, told The Los Angeles Times, “There’s been jobs where there’s been 800 guys and one female — and I’ve been the only female. This is the first project that I walked on to where I couldn’t believe how many women I saw.”

Los Angeles's fancy new bridge falls further behind schedule

2019-08-26T12:30:00-04:00

The Michael Maltzan Architecture (MMA)-designed Sixth Street Viaduct project in Los Angeles, a new $488 million span considered the largest bridge project in the city's history, is taking longer to complete than originally expected.

Although the bridge has been under construction for over three years, work on the forthcoming serial concrete arch spans that make up the massive project has slowed down in recent months. Curbed reports that a recent project update from the Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering (BOE) expects the bridge project to be completed in March 2022, roughly 20 months later than previously estimated.

View of the below-bridge areas that will include pedestrian and park spaces. Image courtesy of Michael Maltzan Architecture.

In a statement explaining the reasoning behind the delay, BOE, writes, "The project has experienced construction challenges in the installation of temporary shoring and falsework to support the bridge while under construction, the development of c...

One of the iconic arches of the old Sixth Street Bridge in LA will be preserved

2016-10-11T13:48:00-04:00

Earlier this year, the Sixth Street Bridge, which spans the Los Angeles River and connects the Arts District to Boyle Heights, was demolished due to a structural issue known as “concrete rot”. Built in 1932, the bridge held an iconic status in the collective imagination of the city, particularly due to its easily-recognizable silhouette, formed by two swooping, steel arches. Now officials report that one of these arches will be preserved and placed somewhere in the new, 8-acre park that will soon be beneath the new viaduct, which is designed by Michael Maltzan and features ribbon-like, Y-shaped columns. The city also gave away around 1,000 pieces of the bridge as commemorative objects.

h/t the Eastsider LA

For more on the Sixth Street Bridge, check out these articles:

Los Angeles is giving away 1,000 pieces of its demolished 6th Street Bridge

2016-08-01T19:21:00-04:00

Missing L.A.’s iconic, historic 6th Street Bridge? Never fear – soon you may be able to keep a piece of it for yourself. At “Rock Day L.A.,” an Aug. 13 event [...], officials will be handing out around 1,000 pieces of the demolished bridge for anyone to take home [...] Demolition crews have been steadily dismantling the bridge since February, after an alkali silica reaction in the concrete, known as “concrete cancer,” forced the city to move forward with a plan to replace it.

Previously in the Archinect news:

Take a look at "6," an experimental documentary that memorializes the recently-demolished Sixth Street Viaduct in LA

2016-02-11T18:35:00-05:00

These days, it’s hard to think clearly about the Los Angeles River. Once the lifeline of the city and, before that, the Tongva people, the river was paved in the early 20th century following a series of devastating floods and then – at least according to a well-worn narrative – forgotten by the public.

After years of potamic amnesia, or so the story goes, Los Angeles suddenly remembered its river, finding in the thin stream a possible answer to both its growing thirst and perpetual identity crises. Now, nobody seems to talk about much else besides “our forgotten river”. In a sense, the LA River is the ecological inverse of Kim Kardashian: famous for being not-famous.

Of course, endless editorializing belies this apparent obscurity. It wasn’t just Frank Gehry’s arrival that heralded the return of the LA River to public attention, or the concatenation of activists and designers that preceded him. In a way, it had never really been forgotten at all. After all, the river has appeared i...

LA mayor Eric Garcetti slow-jams 101 freeway closure announcement

2016-02-08T15:41:00-05:00

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti summoned his inner crooner and released a music video Thursday to warn drivers of an impending 40-hour traffic headache -- the #101SlowJam. Flanked by the Theodore Roosevelt High School Jazz Band, Garcetti sings a tune reminiscent of the "Slow Jam the News" segment on "The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon."

"See we're bringing down the 6th Street Bridge, making way for something new and the demolition will cause delays," Garcetti says in the video. "But sometimes, just sometimes, you have to get your hands dirty to build something beautiful." – Infrastructure never felt so sexy.

A final hurrah for L.A.'s Sixth Street Viaduct

2016-01-28T15:13:00-05:00

Final farewells were visible all over the 6th Street Viaduct on Wednesday. Spinning tire trails were burned onto the bridge's asphalt deck; declarations of love and poetry were scribbled onto its concrete railings and incomprehensible graffiti was blasted across its high metal arches...Demolition of the crumbling bridge is scheduled to begin this week and could take up to nine months to complete, as crews cart away more than 110,000 tons of concrete.

"While I'm more aware that the closure will cause delays, believe me, it will be worth it in the long run,” Mayor Garcetti tells the L.A. Times.