HNTB's winning design for 6th Street bridge

The "infrastructure" firm HNTB has won the city's international design competition for the new bridge that will replace the decaying concrete 6th Street Viaduct over the Los Angeles River. "The new 6th Street Bridge will be a world-class, iconic piece of Los Angeles infrastructure because of this international design competition and the community’s involvement every step of the way,” Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa says in a statement. “Los Angeles is where the world creates and innovates, and the selection of HNTB as the winning team reaffirms our ability to cultivate and attract the best and brightest in architecture, design, and engineering right here in Los Angeles.” Villaraigosa and Councilman Jose Huizar had a media event out at the bridge this morning.

The 80-year-old viaduct is dying from the inside due to a chemical reaction in the concrete called Alkali Silica Reaction. The city's release says the current bridge "is subject to failure during a major earthquake."

Construction could begin in 2015 and finish in 2018. HNTB is based in Kansas City.

Here are a couple of other views of the new design. It appears they envision the bridge will be visited primarily by young white people.

Previously on LA Observed:
Imagining the 6th Street bridge
Dreaming of (under) the 7th Street bridge
6th Street viaduct as photo op