A replacement Riverside-Figueroa bridge across the LA River, between the 5 and 110 Freeways, has been under construction for more than a year now, taking shape right next to the aging original. When it's complete, the plan is to demolish the old bridge, which was built in the 1920s and '30s and is one of the last steel-truss bridges across the river, says the Eastsider. But now a plan's afoot (a little late in the day?) to save the old bridge. Not for car traffic, but as a possible High-Line-style park--maybe. The pair leading the preservation effort "don't have any detailed plans about what to do with the old bridge," but hope staving off its destruction will buy enough time to study the alternatives. The chances for success are long, but not entirely without hope. For starters, it is technically feasible since the new bridge can be built without demolishing the old. The city's Cultural Heritage Commission has asked the Bureau of Engineering to look at the proposal, and there's some enthusiasm for the idea from individual city staffers, though no office has officially backed it.
· Is it too late to save the Riverside-Figueroa Bridge? [ELA]
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