Photos: L.A.’s new 6th Street Viaduct

Los Angeles City Engineer Gary Moore, right, explains the features of the new 6th Street Viaduct to Mayor Eric Garcetti and other city officials at an unveiling ceremony near the existing span, whose demolition willl begin this summer.

A model of the new viaduct sits near the current bridge, which spans the Los Angeles River. The old bridge stands as a nostalgic wreck. Wooden planks span broken balustrades. Graffiti tags mark the high iron arches. Pigeons befoul the crevices.

A bicyclist crosses the 6th Street Viaduct. When the bridge opened in 1933, it mirrored the city’s aspirations. The roadway was broad and inviting like a runway, with its promise of a far-off destination.

Cast as a cinematic backdrop, the 6th Street Viaduct provided noirish overtones for pot-boiled dramas. Little did its builders know that the structure’s cement and aggregate were at war.

Demolition on the old span begins this summer. The city is making intersection improvements to improve traffic flow in the Arts District and in Boyle Heights for the 13,000 daily drivers who will no longer be able to take this route.