Hundreds Converge On Sixth Street Bridge On Eve Of Closure, 1 Arrested

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — With the Sixth Street Bridge scheduled to close to traffic Wednesday morning so city crews can prepare it for demolition, hundreds of bridge lovers took advantage of their last opportunity to take photos from the landmark connecting downtown Los Angeles and Boyle Heights.

The bridge is known for providing a backdrop in movies such as "Grease," "Terminator 2" and "Fast and the Furious."

Major demolition work on the bridge is set to begin next week, necessitating a 40-hour closure of the Hollywood (101) Freeway on Feb. 5.

"People [are] trying to say goodbye," reported Stu Mundel, who was flying overhead in SKY9. "[It's the] last night that it's going to be open to the public."

Mundel reported that the bridge would likely be shut down Wednesday morning. He said the large crowd at one point began to surround some officers in the area to keep the peace.

"LAPD felt a little bit threatened and they called for back-up," reported Mundel. "When back-up arrived, there was a little bit of a skirmish."

One arch from the old bridge will be preserved during demolition and used in a community space that will be built underneath the bridge, said Rick Coca, an aide to Councilman Jose Huizar.

Huizar, whose district includes the bridge, will take a "final walk" along the bridge along with the designer of its replacement, Michael Maltzan.

Huizar will join Mayor Eric Garcetti and other officials later in the day to discuss details about closures and detours related to the demolition.

Demolition work is expected to last about nine months and be followed by a $449 million project to build a replacement bridge. The new bridge is anticipated to be completed by 2019 at the earliest.

The new design of the bridge includes references to the current bridge, including 10 pairs of arches.

The bridge is being replaced due to deterioration caused by a chemical reaction in the concrete.

At least 100 bridge lovers turned out at about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday night and starting taking pictures. Some used the aerial view to check out a car club gathering on the street below

One woman was arrested, CBS2/KCAL9's Tom Wait reported.

"Turned out that one woman was arrested for failing to obey a police command to vacate the bridge," LAPD Officer Mike Lopez said.

The charge is a misdemeanor and the crowd was peaceful during its time on the bridge, Lopez said.

"They just wanted to take some pictures," Lopez said.

"Everyone's just trying to get their shots," one attendee said.

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