Stretch of Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills closed for 3 weeks for Metro D line extension project

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (KABC) -- A four-block stretch of Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills will be closed over the next three weeks.

The closure, which spans between El Camino and Crescent drives and includes the Beverly and Wilshire intersection, will remain in effect until April 7.

This is due to construction at the Wilshire/Rodeo Metro Station.

The construction work is yet another phase of the $10 billion D (Purple) Line Subway Extension Project, which has been underway since 2014.

Work crews could have done what they usually do on these projects, which is doing the job on weekends but they are scrambling to complete the entire project before the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The project will add two new stations.

"It's going to connect downtown Los Angeles with West L.A. in 25 minutes which is nearly impossible if you are trying to navigate those streets with a car. This is one of the transit projects that are scheduled for completion before the arrival of the 2028 Olympics," said Dave Sotero with L.A. County Metro.

Work crews will be removing concrete deck panels used during construction of the underground portion of the subway project. The deck panels will allow drivers to motor over the road during the underground work.

"We work closely with the city of Beverly Hills, and we proposed an alternative schedule for doing the decking operation, which compresses the work into a three-week time frame, and that will free us from having to do 18 weekends of similar work in order to get this decking panels removed and the street restored," Sotero said.

This second phase of the D Line subway extension will create two new stations - the Wilshire/Rodeo Subway station and the Century City Station, which will connect Beverly Hills and Century City with downtown L.A.

"The very first segment between Wilshire Western and Wilshire La Cienega is scheduled open later this year. The work we're talking about today is in the second section, the Beverly Hills at Century City section that's scheduled to be completed next year. And the final stage of going from Century City to Westwood VA is going to be in 2027," Sotero said.

Metro asks motorists to follow recommended street detours and allow for extra time when traveling through the area.

The closure will enforce the following:

• Pedestrian access will be maintained along Wilshire Boulevard


• No road closures are planned during holidays or regional events


• All commercial property driveways adjacent to the closure will be accessible


• Bus stop locations along Wilshire Boulevard will be relocated and further information will be provided


• Access for emergency vehicles will be maintained outside the construction zone

City News Service contributed to this report.