More Upgrades for 7th Street/Metro Center Station

Over the past year, Metro Rail's increased passenger load has coincided with a slew of ugrades to the Financial District's 7th Street/Metro Center Station.  The latest in the ongoing series of improvements is the addition of next-train monitors on the station's upper platform.  Utilizing a large, ADA-compliant font size, these monitors display countdown timers for trains on Metro's Blue and Expo light rail lines.  These relatively simple upgrades can go a long way, given the hectic (and claustrophobic) rush hour environment within the station.  7th Street/Metro Center is set to become even more crowded over the next several years, with a variety of new projects getting underway both above and below ground.  The Ratkovich Group is gearing up for construction on it's $160 million remodel of Macy's Plaza, which will create a new subway portal on the southern side of 7th Street.  One block west, the 73-story Wilshire Grand Center will add 400,000 square feet of office space and 900 hotel rooms by 2017.  Most importantly, the Regional Connector will eventually create a new 1.9 mile subway tunnel in-between the Financial District and Little Tokyo.

Crane Action at the Wilshire Grand Site

Passers by may have noticed the recent addition of a mobile crane to the massive Wilshire Grand construction site.  Perhaps Turner Construction is about to install a larger stationary crane?  Or maybe it has something to do with tomorrow's "bottoming out," ceremony.  Crews have now excavated the site down to 106 feet below street level, capping off a demolition process which began late in 2012.  Soon afterwards, the Wilshire Grand begins a three year climb to its 1,100 foot apex.  When opened in 2017, the tower will contain 900 hotel rooms and 400,000 square feet of office space within 73 stories.  No need to mention the 70th floor lobby and the rooftop pool/observation deck.  Can it please be 2017 already?

• Wilshire Grand "Construction" Update (Building Los Angeles)
• Wilshire Grand Project to Hit Bottom (Downtown LA News)