Peeking into the future Wilshire/La Brea Purple Line station

The towering, above-ground machines building the future Purple Line station at Wilshire Boulevard and La Brea Avenue look busy from the street. But it’s difficult to see how much progress they’re making underground on future subway platforms and tunnels that will eventually ferry riders all the way to Westwood.

New photos published by The Source give a glimpse of the action, and they show a giant gaping hole under Wilshire. That’s a good thing, because the Wilshire/La Brea station is one of three on the first leg of the Purple Line’s extension. It’s the furthest along in terms of progress, with about 70 percent of the soil removed from the future station area. (Some camel bones were found in the process.)

The 3.9-mile stretch will bring new stations to Wilshire/Fairfax and Wilshire/La Cienega, too.

A quick look at an aerial shot of the work is a reminder that this digging is happening directly under Wilshire. Keeping the street open while digging happens underneath is possible because of the temporary decking previously installed.

This section of the Purple Line is expected to open toward the end of 2023.

There are two additional segments of the Purple Line extension planned. Metro’s aiming to have the second section, with stations in Beverly Hills and Century City, and the third leg to Westwood complete by 2024 “if federal matching funds can be secured,” says The Source.

• Fresh pics: what’s happening at Purple Line Extension’s Wilshire/La Brea Station [The Source]
• Wilshire street closures wrap up six weeks ahead of schedule [Curbed LA]