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Bid a fond farewell to the Sixth Street Viaduct with a new time-lapse video that shows the dramatic destruction of the first portion of the historic bridge.
Over the first weekend in February, construction crews set to work demolishing the stretch of the iconic and frequently filmed, yet unstable bridge that crossed above the 101 Freeway. As fond as we are of the 84-year-old viaduct—which connects Downtown L.A. to Boyle Heights—it needs to come down as a rare chemical reaction in the cement supports are causing it to slowly crumble and make it particularly vulnerable to earthquakes. To accomplish the first portion of this major undertaking, Caltrans shut down the 101 for 40 hours from Friday, February 5th at 10 p.m. to Sunday, February 7th at 10 a.m. They even enlisted Mayor Eric Garcetti's smooth and dulcet tones to announce the closure.
And if the Mayor's 101 'SlowJam' was too mellow for you, Caltrans has just released a time-lapse of the bridge teardown, complete with a melodic and pulsating, syncopated soundtrack. Watching the excavators and massive drills tear into the bridge and its pylons at the sped-up pace resembles a nature video of termites handily devouring an old log:
The video definitely makes the whole process seem pretty neat and tidy, and in fact, the crews worked so efficiently they actually finished four hours ahead of schedule.
But don't worry, there's still plenty more demolishing to be done as the viaduct is slowly torn down and a new one is built over the next three years. So, we can probably expect more videos, as well as detours and delays in the years to come.
Related:
A Farewell Party For The Sixth Street Bridge With Food Trucks And Fireworks
Videos: The Sixth Street Bridge Farewell Got A Little Out Of Control Last Night
