Full Wilshire Boulevard Closure Approved In Section Until June 15

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Hopefully your navigation apps are working well. On Thursday, the Beverly Hills City Council voted 4-1 to continue the full closure of Wilshire Boulevard between Crescent and Beverly Drives until June 15 so that work on the Purple Line can continue.

In March, the Council approved the closure as part of a new construction timeline to take advantage of the reduced traffic flow from the COVID-19 emergency. Piling work was originally scheduled to last until August, but was completed May 9. The Wilshire piling work that was originally scheduled to finish next March will now be finished by June 15. No work will take place on Father’s Day or Independence Day.

The news comes right as the city unveiled its Connect Beverly Hills initiative to make the areas on Wilshire and La Cienega Boulevards near the upcoming Purple Line stations more pedestrian friendly in anticipation of the new crowds the stations will bring. It also comes not long after the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Federal Transit Administration won a lawsuit against the Beverly Hills Unified School District on May 18, bringing a nearly eight-year litigation process to an end. According to the LA Curbed Blog, the district spent over $15 million in lawsuits stemming from Metro's decision to build tunnels under Beverly Hills High School.

For more information about the closure, email Beverly Hills Public Works at purpleline@beverlyhills.org or call 310-285-2467.