Bridging with 20 concrete arches
Sixth Street Viaduct in Los Angeles by Michael Maltzan Architecture
© Iwan Baan
The cityscape of Los Angeles has gained an emblematic new traffic structure – The Sixth Street Viaduct. With its 20 concrete arches it is officially deemed to be the largest bridge structure in the city's history.
© Iwan Baan
The over 1000-m-long bridge for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians is in replacement of a deteriorated predecessor built in 1932 for the Olympic Games. The concrete turned out to be so defective, however, that in spite of numerous repairs demolition could not be avoided. The striking arches of the old Sixth Street Viaduct, which originally had two pairs spanning the Los Angeles River east of the downtown area, have been retained figuratively speaking, with ten such pairs now connecting the downtown Arts District – an office and commercial area – with the Boyle Height neighbourhood to the east. In addition to spanning the river they also stretch over two freeways, four streets and 17 railroad tracks.
The in-situ concrete arches have a 90-m span on average, vary between ten and 20 m in height and all tilt outwards at a 9 degree angle, significantly contributing to the dynamic silhouette of the bridge. Thanks to 32 earthquake-proof foundations, the entire structure is able to move almost 1 m to the side in the event of an earthquake without being unduly affected.
© Iwan Baan
First the bridge, then the park
Although Los Angeles has always been a car city, the civil engineers also put thought to other road users; accordingly the roadway is flanked by bicycle lanes and sidewalks at least 2,40 m wide. Three bike ramps and five pedestrian stairways link the Sixth Street Viaduct to the city neighbourhoods around and below the bridge.
© Iwan Baan
© Iwan Baan
Talking of below the bridge, this is where a 5 ha municipal park is to be created on both riverbanks in coming years according to plans by the landscape architects Hargreaves/Jones Associates. In the meantime, LED lights above and below the bridge deck transform the viaduct at night into a long strip of light, explaining why the architects also refer to their project as "Ribbon of Light".
Architecture: Michael Maltzan Architecture
Client: City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering
Location: E 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90013 (US)
Structural engineering: Michael Jones, HNTB
Landscape planning: Hargreaves/Jones Associates
Urban planning: AC Martin
Contractor: Skanska Stacy, Wiltbeck
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