As Downtown Los Angeles residents are surely aware, construction of Metro's Regional Connector light rail project is well underway. But take a moment to forget about the traffic problems and general chaos produced by the construction and enjoy the sight of a construction crew doing some good old fashioned demolition.
The video below, published by Metro's The Source, shows members of Regional Connector Constructors taking down a bridge using hydraulic jackhammers mounted on two excavators. The now-toppled bridge led to Hope Street and was demolished to clear space for the new Second Street/Hope Station.
The Regional Connector project, scheduled to (hopefully) open in 2020, will connect Metro's Gold, Expo, and Blue Lines, and add three new below-ground stations in Downtown LA. Currently, riders on the Gold Line must transfer to the Red or Purple Line at Union Station to link up with the Expo and Blue Lines at the Seventh Street stop. The Regional Connector project will remove this extra step, allowing continuous rides between East LA and Santa Monica, and between Long Beach and Azusa.