Work on the Purple Line subway extension down Wilshire chugs along, and the very early beginnings of the first station, at Wilshire/La Brea, are now being put in place. The first pile—a giant metal beam that will help support the eventual walls of the station and the decking that will allow cars to travel above on the street while work's going on down below—was installed on Tuesday near the intersection of Wilshire and La Brea, says The Source. This is pretty much the first step in the process to build the subway stations under Wilshire—aside from La Brea, there will also be stops at Fairfax and La Cienega in this phase (the line is supposed to reach the West LA VA eventually). The decking, the big concrete slabs that will cover the station hole so that cars can keep using Wilshire, will be placed sometime in 2016. The whole three-station, 3.9-mile section underway now is expected to be finished in late 2023.
· Construction: First pile installation for Purple Line Extension [The Source]
· Watch How Metro Will Build Subway Stations Under Wilshire [Curbed LA]