As you can see from the photos, there has been a lot of construction activity on the east side of the Sixth Street Viaduct project site. If you are wondering what those new structures are and what they are for, we've got the answers. 

Starting next to the 101 Freeway, we have been constructing the scaffolding (also known as "falsework") that will allow us to build the Y-Bents, the reinforced concrete structures that will hold up the new bridge. To build the Y-Bents, the pre-fabricated metal falsework forms are assembled and rebar is placed inside. When ready, we will pour concrete into the forms, then remove the forms, which then creates the Y-Bents.

Some of the metal Y-Bent forms, made of bright blue painted metal, can be seen below. 

The Y-Bent forms are specialized structures that had to be trucked in all the way from Indiana and Toronto. This is due to the shape of the Y-Bents; they will have gentler curves, as opposed to right angles, and create the distinctive shape of the new viaduct. In total, there will be 18 Y-Bents. Each will come out of its own column, which may extend up to 150 feet underground. This is the beginning of the viaduct’s visible above-ground construction! The new Sixth Street Viaduct is coming to life. 

Our Sixth Street Viaduct contractor, SSW, is one of 60 national construction companies that support Safety Week each year. The photo shows some of our Sixth Street team celebrating Safety Week 2017. At the viaduct, safety always comes first.

The Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement Project is a new, 3,500-foot long viaduct connecting Boyle Heights and the Arts District across the Los Angeles River. The original viaduct was built in 1932, but had significantly deteriorated due to "concrete cancer"; it was demolished in 2016. The new viaduct will have ten pairs of lit arches, bike lanes and wider sidewalks, along with stairway access and bike ramps connecting to 12 acres of recreational and open space under the bridge. The $482 million dollar project is the largest bridge project in the history of the city. The bridge is funded primarily through the Federal Highway Administration, with additional City support. The viaduct is expected to be completed by the end of 2020.

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