Metro Finishes Boring Twin Tunnels for Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension Under Boyle Heights

Metro construction crews last Saturday night, Dec. 9, finished boring the twin 1.7-mile tunnels for the Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension. “Vicki”, one of two massive tunnel boring machines (TBM) completed boring the westbound tunnel at the East Portal in Boyle Heights.

“Lola,” her TBM twin, finished burrowing the eastbound tunnel Nov. 14. Tunneling operations

began last February at First and Boyle streets and moved underground to First and Lorena streets.

Lola and Vicki were custom-built in Germany at a cost of $10 million each.

Each machine weighs more than 2 million pounds and stretches 344 feet. The diameter of each tunnel is 21-feet. As the machines advanced, pre-cast concrete tunnel lining was installed in the tunnels.

The tunnels are part of a six-mile extension of the Metro Gold Line from Union Station in downtown Los Angeles through the Little Tokyo/Arts District, Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles. Eight new stations, including two underground, will be constructed.

The light rail extension is schedule to open in late 2009.

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