The demolition of the Riverside-Figueroa Bridge spanning the Los Angeles River between Elysian Valley and Cypress Park has commenced. Advocates lament a lost opportunity for open space as well as the car-centric design of the replacement span.
"This past weekend, locals and public-space diehards gathered for a wake on the Riverside-Figueroa Bridge, which spans the LA River from Elysian Valley to Cypress Park," according to Adrian Glick Kudler.
The city began to demolish the bridge this week, despite the best efforts of open space and preservation advocates who wanted to repurpose the bridge: "The bridge is set to be demolished today, per an order made back in 2006. Despite every effort, the old bridge—a patchwork built between 1928 and the 1950s—will not become a High-Line-style linear public plaza, and it won't even be preserved in case the city ever decides the public plaza plan is feasible. (Last week, a judge denied a temporary restraining order that would've kept the bridge in place a little longer.) A replacement next to the old bridge is not quite finished, but has now opened to car traffic."
The post has more of the bridge's history and a photo collection of the bridge—one of those uniquely Los Angeles landmarks that only pre-war construction and the Los Angeles River's concrete banks can produce.
FULL STORY: Saying Goodbye to the Riverside-Figueroa Bridge and Dreams of a High-Line-Style Park
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