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The 6th Street Viaduct is now a part of history, as the last of its arches has been dismantled and carted off. Filmmaker Nirvan Mullick, who is noted for the viral video he made of Caine's Arcade in 2012, was there to capture some footage of the take-down. Mullick, in a Facebook post, revealed that he has a personal history with the stately structure.
I live really close to the bridge and see it every day; I've taken tons of friends through the tunnel to the LA River, wandered across multiple low rider meet-ups, was first on scene to a fatal car crash there, spent New Years on the arches, and got to know the homeless who called the bridge home for years.
When the term "demolition" pops up, one might think of the contained explosions that take down Vegas casinos (like the Riviera Hotel earlier this month). But this demolition is more like a careful deconstruction—it almost looks like a giant game of Operation. The demolition had begun in February, when the first arches were taken away.
The bridge was built in 1932 and, for decades, has been one of L.A.'s most distinctive structures. In 2004, studies determined that the bridge was compromised "due to a rare chemical reaction in the cement supports and seismic vulnerability." It will be replaced with a sleeker bridge that looks like something out of Minority Report (which is cool). This new bridge is expected to be completed in 2019.
Mullick also notes that the viaduct has appeared in over 80 films, including Grease and Terminator 2. The middle-section of the video includes a montage of popular movies that the bridge had been featured in.
If you're feeling sad, it might be reassuring to know that one of the arches will be preserved and incorporated as part of the landscaping at the new bridge. Also, some people earlier this month were able to snag some chunks of concrete that were once part of the bridge. We're guessing you'll be able to find some of these rocks on eBay in the future. So keep your eyes peeled!
