Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension

The Gold Line, which originally ran from Downtown LA to Pasadena, was extended in 2009 to also serve passengers in Little Toyko, Boyle Heights and the East Los Angeles area. Miyamoto engineers designed the Mariachi and Soto underground stations, the two premier stations on this six mile-long light rail extension. The entire project consists of eight new stations with two 700-foot-long underground stations at Mariachi Plaza and at the corner of First Street and Soto Street. Twin tunnels with a diameter of 22 feet and 1.8 miles in length were placed under Boyle Heights. Both stations are two-story high, concrete cut-and-cover box structures featuring clear spans up to 60 feet, highly sculptural main entrance canopies, and complex emergency exit, air intake and exhaust air shafts. Challenges included stations located near fault lines and restricted space for MEP systems.