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From The Archives: The 6th Street Bridge Farewell Got A Little Out Of Control Last Night
The OK Go band has their photo taken beneath the iconic 6th Street Bridge on January 27, 2016, the morning after its closure to traffic and a takeover by revelers.
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Mark Ralston
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AFP via Getty Images
)
Editor's Note: This story was published in 2016 before the demolition of the original 6th Street Viaduct. We're sharing it again as the city celebrates (with some speed bumps along the way) the opening of its replacement.
The Sixth Street Viaduct ends its mighty 84-year run over the Los Angeles River this morning, and last night Angelenos took their last opportunity to say goodbye.
Although there was already an official farewell party back in October, a crowd of around 100 people gathered on the bridge on Tuesday night around 8 p.m. Around 20 LAPD officers responded to the scene, and Officer Mike Lopez told the L.A. Times that one woman was arrested for resisting arrest.
"Everybody just wanted to get shots of his historical bridge," one member of the crowd told CBS 2. "And it became a big thing out here."
According to ABC 7, officers dispersed the crowd out of safety concerns when a smoke bomb went off and traffic was getting blocked.On Wednesday morning, Councilman Jose Huizar and the designer of the replacement bridge, Michael Maltzan, will go for a "final walk" across the aging span. They will be joined later by Mayor Eric Garcetti to discuss detours and road closures, says City News Service.
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The iconic Sixth Street Viaduct has been featured in several films and TV shows through the years, including Grease, Terminator 2, Repo Man, and To Live And Die In L.A.. Unfortunately, it is suffering from an alkali-silica reaction, which is causing its concrete to crack and weaken. "The demise of the bridge will be a tremendous loss to the history and landscape of Los Angeles, and to the many Angelenos who care so deeply about this icon," writes the Los Angeles Conservancy.
The planned demolition of the Sixth Street Viaduct will shut down the 101 freeway through Boyle Heights from the night of February 5 to February 7.
More photos and videos from last night's impromptu celebration.
Car clubs cruise and dozens gather in #BoyleHeights: last night on #SixthStreetBridge #SixthStreetViaduct #mydayinla pic.twitter.com/mHf9nprM55
— Boyle Heights Beat (@boyleheightsbt) January 27, 2016
Arts District in #dtla is partying on the 6th Street Bridge. The fuzz wants everyone to leave. pic.twitter.com/pMR8GmM1X5
— slippy (@slippy) January 27, 2016
Last chance! Come down to say goodbye to the 1932 6th Street Bridge #DTLA #LowRider pic.twitter.com/PIvNZHyHxi
— Ian Lawrence-Tourinho (@ianLourinho) January 27, 2016
We out here!!! #6thstreetbridge @LA_Trends pic.twitter.com/y8kTeVzEh7
— michael koecheler (@thelocalMK) January 27, 2016
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