L.A. Metro Purple Line tunneling completed between Century City and Wilshire/Rodeo

L.A. Metro Purple Line tunnel boring machine.

Photo by Joe Linton/Streetsblog L.A.

A significant tunneling milestone has been reached on the L.A. Metro Purple Line extension.

Some good and welcome news from Section 2 of the Purple (D Line) Extension project: both tunnel boring machines (or TBMs) have now excavated tunnels between Century City and the Wilshire/Rodeo station under downtown Beverly Hills.

In early February, the TBMs are anticipated to start digging the tunnels between Wilshire/Rodeo and Wilshire/La Cienega stations. The tunnels on 3.9-mile Section 1 of the project — between Wilshire/Western and Wilshire/La Cienega — were completed in 2021.

In other words, this vital project is advancing nicely. Construction is also underway on Section 3 of the project between Century City and the Westwood VA Hospital — including a key station at Wilshire and Westwood boulevards that will provide access to Westwood Village and the UCLA campus.

For those keeping score at home, here are the vital stats on the tunneling on Section 2:

•The two TBMs — named Ruth and Harriet — began digging at Century City on April 30, 2020, and traveled to the east.

•Both TBMs excavated for 5,811 feet (or about 1.1 miles) between Century City and the Wilshire/Rodeo station.

•The first TBM, Harriet, reached Wilshire/Rodeo on Jan. 11. The second TBM, Ruth, made it to the station box on Jan. 28.

The Purple (D Line) Extension project is extending Metro’s D Line subway from its current terminus at Wilshire/Western for nine miles to the Westwood VA Hospital in Westwood. The project is funded mostly by Measure R, Measure M and federal grants. Section 1 is forecast to open in 2024, Section 2 in 2025 and Section 3 in 2027. Travel time between Westwood and downtown L.A. is expected to take about 25 minutes.