Deep downtown excavation will bring subway service to more of Los Angeles
Light-rail system through downtown Los Angeles utilizes wide flange beams in a multitude of ways.
The new Purple Line Extension of the Los Angeles Metro will bring up to 9 miles of extended rail service to the downtown area. This priority project will provide high-capacity, high-speed and dependable service between downtown Los Angeles, Miracle Mile, Beverly Hills and Westwood. The project is being divided into three sections, with section 1 currently under construction.
The project is completely underground, and requires complicated excavation design and shoring systems. The joint venture of Skanska USA Civil West, Traylor Brothers, Inc. and JF Shea Construction reached out to Nucor Skyline for their expertise in steel beam solutions.
Section 1 is 3.92 miles and stretches from Wilshire & Western to Wilshire & La Cienega. The largest and most complex of the three major excavation sites is the La Brea Station, where the tunnel boring machine will be launched. The site is 1,000 feet long, 65 feet wide, and nearly 80 feet deep.
Nucor Skyline provided approximately 10,000 tons of 24”, 36” and 40” wide flange beams, all produced in their Blytheville, Arkansas mill. The wide flange beams are very versatile and will be used throughout the construction of the new line as bracing, soldier pile beams, cap beams, deck beams, walers, and struts.