Santa Monica Colorado construction photo gallery
5/20/16 — The first train of officials and invited guests breaks the banner to open the Expo Line to Santa Monica (Metro photo)! The new pedestrian and bicycle promenade from the station to the Santa Monica pier is nearly complete (below).
5/13/16 — One of the new Kinkisharyo P 3010 cars departs the downtown station during testing.
7/29/15 — A train car was towed for the first time across 17th Street and along Colorado to the terminus station for clearance testing, and then back east!
Crossing Lincoln
Truck to other end to push into station
Returning east along the other track
Santa Monica Weekly video
4/18/15 — Embedded track is complete along Colorado in Santa Monica and OCS wires are beginning. Note the pier arch on the right, above.
3/18/15 — Looking left and right at the stairs up from Colorado and 4th to the terminus station.
A triptych of the terminus station, looking west from 4th Street.
And the view east from 4th.
Farther east the 11th Street crossing is being rebuilt (above) and OCS work is going on at 14th (below).
The 17th Street station is largely complete (above) and catenary spans 17th Street on the way east onto private right-of-way (below).
6/10/14 — Lots of construction is on Colorado, including this view west of 7th Street (above) and the station columns at 17th Street (below).
5/5/14 — Here are two views of finished tracks across the re-opened Lincoln Blvd. intersection.
Track is being installed east of the 11th Street crossing.
The station platform at 17th Street has been built, but no tracks yet.
The grade crossing of 17th Street and on to private right-of-way is behind a spool of rubber boot for electrical isolation of the rails in concrete.
4/25/14 — Day 5 of the Lincoln closure saw concrete paving around the tracks (all photos of this week from SM Constructs).
4/24/14 — Day 4 embedded the rails and rebar in concrete.
4/23/14 — Day 3 readied the rails and rebar for concrete.
4/22/14 — Day 2 removed final utility pipes and readied the intersection for the tracks.
4/21/14 — Day 1 of the closure of the Lincoln-Colorado intersection, with removal of the old pavement into a fleet of dump trucks.
3/25/14 — The 17th Street embedded crossing was built this week.
3/14/14 — The 17th Street crossing is next to be built. The intersection was closed for utility work in advance of the crossing construction 3/22-4/2/14.
1/26/14 — Concrete is complete over the rails, and you can envision how the three tracks will curve into the terminus station at 4th Street.
1/23/14 — Concrete is about to be pumped in this panoramic SM Constructs day 6 photo.
1/21/14 — Fifth Street was closed 1/18-28/14 to build this track crossing on Colorado, with rails embedded in concrete slab. Here you see rails in position on rebar grids, but no concrete yet, looking west toward the Sears store.
12/20/13 — The first grade crossing and first embedded track in Santa Monica was completed earlier this month at Colorado and 11th Street.
11/14/13 — Space for tracks is cleared on Colorado from 11th to 14th Streets, OCS pole footings are in place, and new curbs and sidewalks are done.
10/29/13 — Retaining walls are beginning for the Santa Monica terminus station.
9/18/13 — Utility work continues west of 14th (above), and the center of Colorado is cleared and OCS pole footings are in place between 14th and 17th Streets (below).
7/8/13 — A curb is cast for the future south side of Colorado west of 17th, where the street will divide around the station. Memorial Park and the former Fisher Lumber are in the background.
4/16/13 — The terminus station site on Colorado west of 5th is cleared (above). Visible work along Colorado is still limited to utility relocation (at 10th, below, and 14th, second below).
The 17th Street station site (former Fisher Lumber yard) is still just a place to store K-rails.
3/8/13 — The building at 5th and Colorado is almost gone.
10/31/12 — Everything east of the former Fisher Lumber building at 14th Street has been cleared (compare to 9/17 below).
10/15/12 — The final plan of the 4th Street terminus station doesn't curve off of Colorado as much as the earlier verion (below).
9/17/12 — Looking east at 9th, with supports for utility trenchs and trees being removed (above) and at 14th (below). Everything is cleared south of Colorado beyond the second Fisher building.
7/10/12 — Tonight's Expo Authority - Skanska/Rados Phase 2 community meeting featured posters of these new renderings of the 4th Street terminus station.
Here is a series of "before" photos to remember how it used to look on Colorado from 4th to 17th Street.
7/27/11 — Colorado Avenue looking west from 5th Street, where the tracks will curve left into the terminus station
7/27/11 — Colorado Avenue at 6th Street; the entrance to the Big Blue Bus yard is on the right.
5/27/11 — Colorado Avenue at Lincoln Boulevard
5/27/11 — Colorado Avenue at 9th Street in Santa Monica
5/27/11 — Colorado Avenue at 11th Street
5/27/11 — Colorado Avenue at 12th Street
5/27/11 — Colorado Avenue at 14th Street; the former Fisher Lumber is on the right.
5/27/11 — Colorado Avenue at 16th Street; Colorado will be widened for the 17th Street station where the dark building is (below).
5/27/11 — Colorado Avenue at 17th Street, where Hastings Plastics and Swartz Glass will be removed for the tracks will curve to the right onto the private right-of-way
5/27/11 — 18th Street. The banner says, "STONE CLEARANCE SALE!! We must vacate our storage area!" Bourget Brothers has been renting space on the Metro-owned right-of-way behind its property.
5/9/11 — Tonight's Expo Authority - Skanska/Rados Phase 2 community meeting featured posters of these "site concept" images of the stations.
Downtown Santa Monica terminus at Colorado and 4th Street.
Colorado and 17th Street.
They also had rolled out plan and profile drawings; note the vertical scale is exaggerated.
Santa Monica, from 4th to 17th along Colorado.
The City of Santa Monica requested the Colorado option, continuing on the right-of-way to 17th, then following the median of Colorado to downtown.
Its staff report notes, “On-grade light rail corridors provide greater opportunities over time for retail businesses, enhanced pedestrian environments and walkable connections to the neighborhoods.”
Trains will turn off of Colorado into the Santa Monica terminus station, to replace the Sears Automotive Center (left) on the southeast corner of 4th and Colorado.
This City of Santa Monica sketch (5/18/09) shows how the terminus station could look from 4th and Colorado.