Historic 6th Street Bridge In Downtown LA Closed Ahead Of Demolition

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The Sixth Street Viaduct, a Los Angeles landmark famous for its appearances in films such as "Grease" and "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," was closed to traffic Wednesday in preparation for its demolition next week.

Councilman Jose Huizar, whose district includes the bridge, took a "final walk" along the bridge this morning with City Engineer Gary Lee Moore and the designer of its replacement, Michael Maltzan.

The replacement bridge will incorporate one of the historic arches and a soccer field will be constructed beneath it.

On Tuesday evening, a mostly peaceful crowd of over 100 people gathered on the bridge before it was scheduled to be closed.

CBS2's Kara Finnstrom reported most residents displayed an emotional reaction to tearing down the historic bridge. Many Angelenos felt they were saying goodbye to an old friend.

One woman was arrested during the demonstration.

The bridge currently connects Boyle Heights to the arts district in downtown Los Angeles.

Demolition work is scheduled to begin on Feb. 5 for a 40-hour closure of the 101 Freeway.

KNX 1070's Pete Demetriou reported traffic detours have already been set up in the area.

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 isn't expected to be completed until 2019 at the earliest.

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