Sixth Street Bridge seeing fewer disruptive activities, LAPD says

LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- The Sixth Street Bridge connecting Boyle Heights with the downtown Arts District has had plenty of precautions to prevent street takeovers, spinouts and those who would disrupt traffic. But according to the Los Angeles Police Department, things are calming down.

Police have been scaling down on the amount of officers working overtime.

There are still some attempts at impeding traffic on the bridge.

Undercover officers disrupted a group of truckers attempting to have a car show on the bridge says Capt. German Hurtado, commander for the LAPD's Central Bureau. The group had posted they were planning to do a car show on Instagram.

The officers were aware and were able to stop the group.

Visitors from outside city limits are mostly responsible for incidents on the bridge, Hurtado says. The bridge was closed several times since it opened on July 10, due to what police called "illegal activity."

The city's public works committee has gotten reports from various city departments on long-term strategies like installing cameras and anti-climbing devices to maintain the safety of the bridge.

Officials requested the city attorney draft an ordinance with an urgency clause to prohibit people from "accessing areas outside the bridge fencing, defacing the viaduct, street takeovers, drag racing, dangerous driving practices, the stopping of motorized vehicles, and participating in any activity that blocks the viaduct vehicular travel lanes with a permit."

According to the motion, the bridge could be closed periodically for cars and would only allow pedestrians and bicycle access.

A representative from the City Attorney's Office told the committee the state's vehicle code could pre-empt the city from enacting specific ordinances related to illegal activities such as spinouts.

The committee recommended the council approve $706,000 for maintaining the bridge. The council sent the item to the Budget and Finance Committee rather than taking a vote on authorizing the funding.