On June 1, the tunnel boring machine Angeli broke through at the Bunker Hill Station 110 feet underground. According to the LA Times,
The 1,000-ton, 400-foot-long machine began its subterranean journey four months ago in Little Tokyo. After breaking through a wall of earth at the planned Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill Station on Thursday morning, the machine will veer left and continue digging through downtown's Financial District until it reaches 4th and Flower streets in a couple of weeks.
When the entire $1.75-billion project is completed in 2021, the S-shaped tunnel will allow commuters to use a single train to move from Long Beach to Azusa and from East L.A. to Santa Monica, linking some of the county's most far-flung residents without time-consuming transfers.
An interactive video allows you to view the breakthrough in 360 degrees.
LA Metro selected the Contractor Joint Venture of Skanska/Traylor with Mott MacDonald as the prime designer for this major and highly complex design-build delivery project. When completed, the line will allow for a single seat ride throughout Los Angeles County and will link LA Metro's entire 80-station system to Southern California's regional passenger rail system (Metrolink) that services 55 stations.