By Glenn ZucmanPosted on 13 May 201917 May 2019 The Metro Regional Connector construction site on the corner of 1st Street and Central Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, April 3, 2019. When completed in 2022 this will be Metro rail’s new subterranean Little Tokyo/Arts District Station. The Regional Connector will simplify East-West and North-South transportation in Los Angeles. For example, to travel from East Los Angeles College to Santa Monica College currently takes 3 trains, but will only require one train in 2022. (Glenn Zucman/The Corsair) Metro Regional Connector project Director of Construction Management Rajni Patel shows his brass tag and visitor list for entering the construction site at the corner of 1st Street and Central Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, April 3, 2019. A brass tag for each worker, and a list of names for any visitors, is kept outside the construction site. In case of an emergency rescue crews can know how many people they are looking for. (Glenn Zucman/The Corsair) Metro Regional Connector Senior Safety Manager Michelle Jones, Corsair Staff Writer Michael Fanelli, and Regional Connector Director of Construction Management Rajni Patel exit the site of the future Little Tokyo/Arts District underground station and head into one of the two tunnels that trains will use to travel beneath 2nd street in Downtown Los Angeles heading northwest for the half-mile ride to the future Historic Broadway Station at 2nd Street and Broadway on Wednesday, April 3, 2019. (Glenn Zucman/The Corsair) Walking through the half-mile-long tunnel that will connect Metro Rail’s future Little Tokyo/Arts District station to its future Historic Broadway Station, Regional Connector Director of Construction Management Rajni Patel (center) explains the project to Corsair Staff Writer Michael Fanelli (right). They are accompanied by Regional Connector Senior Safety Manager Michelle Jones (left) as they walk underneath 2nd Street in Downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, April 3, 2019. When completed in 2022, the Regional Connector will simplify East-West and North-South transportation in Los Angeles. For example, to travel from East Los Angeles College to Santa Monica College currently takes 3 trains, but will only require one train in 2022. (Glenn Zucman/The Corsair) Walking through the half-mile-long tunnel that will connect Metro Rail’s future Little Tokyo/Arts District station to its future Historic Broadway Station, Regional Connector Director of Construction Management Rajni Patel (center) explains the project to Corsair Staff Writer Michael Fanelli (left). They are accompanied by Regional Connector Senior Safety Manager Michelle Jones (right) as they walk underneath 2nd Street in Downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, April 3, 2019. When completed in 2022, the Regional Connector will simplify East-West and North-South transportation in Los Angeles. For example, to travel from East Los Angeles College to Santa Monica College currently takes 3 trains, but will only require one train in 2022. (Glenn Zucman/The Corsair) Metro Regional Connector project Director of Construction Management Rajni Patel walks through a Downtown Los Angeles tunnel that connects the future Little Tokyo/Arts District station to the future Historic Broadway station on Wednesday, April 3, 2019. The half-mile-long tunnel runs underneath 2nd street. When completed in 2022, the Regional Connector will simplify East-West and North-South transportation in Los Angeles. For example, to travel from East Los Angeles College to Santa Monica College currently takes 3 trains, but will only require one train in 2022. (Glenn Zucman/The Corsair) At the end of the two Metro Regional Connector tunnels that run underneath 2nd Street in Downtown Los Angeles is a construction site where crews build a crossover area where trains will be able to switch tracks on Wednesday, April 3, 2019. The oval-shaped space in the upper-center of the image is the future Historic Broadway Station at 2nd Street and Broadway. Because construction from above was not possible, crews had to excavate this crossover cavern from the tunnels the trains will run in when the project completes in 2022. (Glenn Zucman/The Corsair) Metro Regional Connector Senior Safety Manager Michelle Jones lifts construction tape for Metro Media Relations Communications Manager Rick Jager as they walk through the half-mile-long tunnel beneath 2nd Street in Downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, April 3, 2019. When completed in 2022 the Regional Connector will add new stations at Little Tokyo/Arts District, Historic Broadway, and Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill. The Regional Connector will simplify East-West and North-South travel in Los Angeles. A trip from East Los Angeles College to Santa Monica College which currently requires 2 transfers and 3 trains, will require only one train when this new segment opens in 2022. (Glenn Zucman/The Corsair) Metro Regional Connector Director of Construction Management Rajni Patel smiles as he prepares to follow Media Relations Communications Manager Rick Jager up a temporary wooden ladder that connects the two Metro Rail tunnels running beneath 2nd Street in Downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, April 3, 2019. When completed in 2022 the Regional Connector will add new stations at Little Tokyo/Arts District, Historic Broadway, and Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill. The Regional Connector will simplify East-West and North-South travel in Los Angeles. A trip from East Los Angeles College to Santa Monica College which currently requires 2 transfers and 3 trains, will require only one train when this new segment opens in 2022. (Glenn Zucman/The Corsair) Workers prepare a wall of rebar at the site of Metro Rail’s future underground Little Tokyo/Arts District station on Wednesday, April 3, 2019. When it opens in 2022, this underground station will replace the nearby above ground station. At this site the north and south ends of the Metro Gold Line will be split to join the ends of the existing Expo Line and Blue Line. When completed in 2022 the Regional Connector will simplify East-West and North-South travel in Los Angeles. A trip from East Los Angeles College to Santa Monica College which currently requires 2 transfers and 3 trains, will require only one train when this new segment opens in 2022. (Glenn Zucman/The Corsair) Corsair Staff Writer Michael Fanelli and Metro Regional Connector Director of Construction Management Rajni Patel walk through the future site of Metro Rail’s underground Little Tokyo/Arts District station and head toward the two tunnels that run northwest underneath 2nd Street to the future Historic Broadway Station at 2nd Street and Broadway on Wednesday, April 2, 2019. When completed in 2022 the Regional Connector will add new stations at Little Tokyo/Arts District, Historic Broadway, and Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill. The Regional Connector will simplify East-West and North-South travel in Los Angeles. A trip from East Los Angeles College to Santa Monica College which currently requires 2 transfers and 3 trains, will require only one train when this new segment opens in 2022. (Glenn Zucman/The Corsair) Walking through the half-mile-long tunnel that will connect Metro Rail’s future Little Tokyo/Arts District station to its future Historic Broadway Station, Regional Connector Director of Construction Management Rajni Patel (center) explains the project to Corsair Staff Writer Michael Fanelli (left). They are accompanied by Regional Connector Senior Safety Manager Michelle Jones (right) as they walk underneath 2nd Street in Downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, April 3, 2019. When completed in 2022, the Regional Connector will simplify East-West and North-South transportation in Los Angeles. For example, to travel from East Los Angeles College to Santa Monica College currently takes 3 trains, but will only require one train in 2022. (Glenn Zucman/The Corsair) At the end of the two Metro Regional Connector tunnels that run underneath 2nd Street in Downtown Los Angeles is a construction site where crews build a crossover area where trains will be able to switch tracks on Wednesday, April 3, 2019. The oval-shaped space in the upper-center of the image is the future Historic Broadway Station at 2nd Street and Broadway. Because construction from above was not possible, crews had to excavate this crossover cavern from the tunnels the trains will run in when the project completes in 2022. (Glenn Zucman/The Corsair) Corsair Staff Writer Michael Fanelli and Metro Regional Connector Director of Construction Management Rajni Patel walk through a Metro Rail tunnel beneath 2nd Street in Downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, April 2, 2019. When completed in 2022 the Regional Connector will add new stations at Little Tokyo/Arts District, Historic Broadway, and Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill. The Regional Connector will simplify East-West and North-South travel in Los Angeles. A trip from East Los Angeles College to Santa Monica College which currently requires 2 transfers and 3 trains, will require only one train when this new segment opens in 2022. (Glenn Zucman/The Corsair) Metro Regional Connector Director of Construction Management Rajni Patel prepares to follow Media Relations Communications Manager Rick Jager up a temporary wooden ladder that connects the two Metro Rail tunnels running beneath 2nd Street in Downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, April 3, 2019. When completed in 2022 the Regional Connector will add new stations at Little Tokyo/Arts District, Historic Broadway, and Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill. The Regional Connector will simplify East-West and North-South travel in Los Angeles. A trip from East Los Angeles College to Santa Monica College which currently requires 2 transfers and 3 trains, will require only one train when this new segment opens in 2022. (Glenn Zucman/The Corsair) Metro Regional Connector Senior Safety Manager Michelle Jones and Corsair Staff Writer Michael Fanelli walk past a large bin of rebar in the middle of the future Little Tokyo/Arts District station on Wednesday, April 3, 2019. When completed in 2022 the Regional Connector will add new stations at Little Tokyo/Arts District, Historic Broadway, and Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill. The Regional Connector will simplify East-West and North-South travel in Los Angeles. A trip from East Los Angeles College to Santa Monica College which currently requires 2 transfers and 3 trains, will require only one train when this new segment opens in 2022. (Glenn Zucman/The Corsair) Metro Regional Connector workers underneath the intersection of 1st Street and Alameda Street in Downtown Los Angeles construct the path that will lead the future merged Metro Expo and Gold Lines from the underground Little Tokyo/Arts District station up to the surface level as the line continues east toward East Los Angeles on Wednesday, April 3, 2019. When completed in 2022 the Regional Connector will add new stations at Little Tokyo/Arts District, Historic Broadway, and Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill. The Regional Connector will simplify East-West and North-South travel in Los Angeles. A trip from East Los Angeles College to Santa Monica College which currently requires 2 transfers and 3 trains, will require only one train when this new segment opens in 2022. (Glenn Zucman/The Corsair) Metro Regional Connector Senior Safety Manager Michelle Jones shows her brass tag for entering the Little Tokyo/Arts District station construction site at 1st Street and Central Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, April 3, 2019. Workers place a brass tag on a board outside the construction site before entering so that in the event of an emergency, rescue crews know how many people they are looking for. When completed in 2022 the Regional Connector will add new stations at Little Tokyo/Arts District, Historic Broadway, and Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill. The Regional Connector will simplify East-West and North-South travel in Los Angeles. A trip from East Los Angeles College to Santa Monica College which currently requires 2 transfers and 3 trains, will require only one train when this new segment opens in 2022. (Glenn Zucman/The Corsair) Metro Regional Connector Senior Safety Manager Michelle Jones talks with Regional Connector construction crew members as they eat lunch just outside the Little Tokyo/Arts District construction site on Wednesday, April 3, 2019. When completed in 2022 the Regional Connector will add new stations at Little Tokyo/Arts District, Historic Broadway, and Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill. The Regional Connector will simplify East-West and North-South travel in Los Angeles. A trip from East Los Angeles College to Santa Monica College which currently requires 2 transfers and 3 trains, will require only one train when this new segment opens in 2022. (Glenn Zucman/The Corsair) Metro Regional Connector Senior Safety Manager Michelle Jones describes the construction site on the northeast corner of 1st Street and Alameda Street in Downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, April 3, 2019. The area Jones is describing is where the future Metro Rail line will emerge from the underground station at Little Tokyo/Arts District and run at grade. When completed in 2022 the Regional Connector will add new stations at Little Tokyo/Arts District, Historic Broadway, and Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill. The Regional Connector will simplify East-West and North-South travel in Los Angeles. A trip from East Los Angeles College to Santa Monica College which currently requires 2 transfers and 3 trains, will require only one train when this new segment opens in 2022. (Glenn Zucman/The Corsair) More of my work: