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Video: Watch Metro's Tunnel Boring Machine Begin Work Underneath Downtown
Metro's Regional Connector project has entered a new stage of construction, thanks in part to Angeli, the tunnel boring machine. Angeli has begun digging the first of two tunnels that will help create 1.1 miles of the 1.9 mile Regional Connect joining the Expo, Blue, and Gold lines between the Little Tokyo station and the 7th Street/Metro Center station.
According to Metro, Angeli digs about 50 feet per day, and is expected to complete the first tunnel this summer, and the second tunnel by early 2018. The Regional Connector is set to open by 2021.
Fun note: the name "Angeli" was actually selected by an 8th grader who'd won a (tunnel boring machine naming) contest held by Metro.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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