6th Street closure in downtown LA could snarl traffic

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A stretch of 6th Street in downtown L.A. will be shut down for months due to a Metro construction project - and the closure could snarl already congested traffic in the area.

Sixth Street, a vital route off the freeway network in downtown, will be completely closed 24/7 between Figueroa and Hope streets for the next six months.

The 6th Street offramp from the Southbound 10 Freeway will also be closed. The northbound offramp will be down to one lane.

For more information on the project, visit https://media.metro.net/projects_studies/connector.

There are also some bus detours and stop location changes:

Eastbound Lines 16, 17, 18, 316 and 720 buses will operate via Wilshire Boulevard between Valencia and Hope streets and return to regular route at 6th Street. Stops will be located on Wilshire Boulevard at Witmer Street, Lucas Avenue and St. Paul Avenue. Return service and stops will remain unchanged.

Westbound Line 460 and Northbound Lines 442, 910 and 950 will operate via Hope Street between Olympic Boulevard and 6th Street. Stops will be located on eastbound Olympic Boulevard at Figueroa Street and on northbound Hope Street at Wilshire Boulevard and then return to regular route at 6th Street. Return service and stops remain unchanged.

For more information on detours, visit https://www.metro.net/ and click on Alerts and Advisories.

The closure, which is expected to last until November, comes as Metro works to connect the Gold, Blue and Expo lines at 7th/Metro Center.

Metro says the project will provide a one-seat ride for travel across L.A. County with north and south connections between Azusa and Long Beach, and east and west connections between East Los Angeles and Santa Monica.

The 1.9-mile, $1.751 billion project is slated to open in 2021.