According to a press release from Metro yesterday, Purple Line subway construction will begin to kick into high gear in just a few weeks, with work from October 23-26 to close two lanes of Wilshire Blvd. between Highland and Cloverdale Avenues.  This will prepare the area for pile driving operations to outline the subway station box at Wilshire and La Brea, the first phase of heavy construction in the area.
“Beginning at 9 p.m. Friday, October 23 until 6 a.m. Monday, October 26,” said Metro, “Work will consist of street re-striping, traffic signal reconfiguration and installation of k-rail and fencing. Parking also will be removed on Wilshire Boulevard between Mansfield Avenue and Detroit Street.
The operation will reduce Wilshire Boulevard from three lanes in each direction to two lanes in each direction from Highland Avenue to Cloverdale Avenue, a distance of approximately five city blocks. Reduced lanes will be in place for the duration of soldier pile installation work needed to create a station box perimeter that is now scheduled to commence in November 2015.”
The peak- hour dedicated lane for Metro Rapid Line 720 will also be eliminated, requiring buses to merge into regular traffic lanes.
The press release also noted that traffic delays are anticipated for the first few days, or until the new traffic pattern normalizes. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation will deploy traffic control officers at major and ancillary intersections at the beginning of the operation to help motorists adjust to the new configuration.
When the lane closures are complete, they will reduce Wilshire Blvd. to two lanes in each direction from Highland to Cloverdale. The reduced lanes will be in place for the duration of pile installation activities, which are anticipated to last 6-8 months.