Wow, all these great posts!
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Last week, after 3 years of reconstruction, the 1st Street Bridge over the Los Angeles River, connecting Boyle Heights to downtown, was reopened--all lanes of it, that is. The Metro Gold Line extension from Union Station into East LA was opened in 2009, with the rails going over the 1st Street Bridge. However, the Gold Line tracks took over the north half of the bridge, while the south 2 lanes were only for eastbound automobile traffic. The bridge was to be widened to accommodate 2 lanes for westbound automobile traffic, extending the bridge 26 feet north, all while Gold Line trains, eastbound automobile traffic, and trains running beneath the bridge along both sides of the LA river, were to continue running. The reopening was pushed back about a year and a half because of problems with construction and delays. The north railing of the bridge was demolished, and the original decorative arches were saved and moved while the roadway was widened. The north railing was then recreated, with the decorative arches anchored back in place. Even the original street lamps were recreated. The whole bridge has been strengthened to withstand a 7.0 earthquake (I think they should've shot for at least an 8.0 quake). Here's a pictorial history of the bridge.
The original 1st Street Bridge was actually a wooden trestle structure that dated from 1889. This photo dates from 1893. Notice the streetcar, which I assume is actually a cable car, being that I see no overhead trolley wires.
Consin's image from imageshack
Here's the bridge in 1924. Notice the wooden sidewalks.
Auto Club of Southern California
Undated image
LAPL
Undated image
LAPL
By the mid or late 1920s, the bridge was considered antiquated and inadequate, so a new concrete bridge was constructed in a more monumental, "City Beautiful" style (along with other bridges over the LA River). The bridge opened to traffic in 1929. Here it is from a photo dated December 15, 1928, with construction nearing completion.
USC Archive
Here it is after it was completed.
LAPL
LAPL
Look at the soot from the locomotives running benath:
LAPL
Some time in the late 1950s (I think), the original streetlamps were removed, replaced with these. The photo dates from about 1963.
Metro Library Archive
Circa 1963
Metro Library Archive
Here's the bridge in 1986. This is how I remember it looking, before construction for the Gold Line light rail started.
LAPL
I don't know why I was never in the frame of mind to take pictures of the bridge's reconstruction the last 3 years. But today, December 26th, 2011, I took some photos of the now completed, widened and restored, 1st Street Bridge. I like the bridge now. I sorta kinda wish that the lamp posts were used to hold up the catenary wires for the light rail trains, but I guess you can't have everything.
Photo by me
They even recreated the light fixtures in the decorative arches.
Photo by me
Photo by me
Photo by me
Photo by me
Photo by me
Photo by me
A few Then and Nows.
1963, looking west towards downtown.
nycsubway.org
December 26, 2011, looking west towards downtown.
Photo by me
Looking east towards Boyle Heights, 1954. The original street lamps were still in place.
USC Archive
Looking east towards Boyle Heights, December 26, 2011. I'd have waited for a train, but I wanted to keep walking. Plus my partner got impatient while waiting for the train to pass by in the other photo.
Photo by me
Night shot, taken December 21, 2011. Photo by me. I thought it had a noirish quality.
