Street racers, social media influencers and lovebirds helped turn the Sixth Street Bridge into a citywide hangout after the revamped viaduct first opened two years ago.
Hundreds of sailors wearing bright white uniforms and hats took turns on the bridge on Memorial Day.
Los Angeles’ newest landmark – which connects the city’s Arts District to Boyle Heights – hosted a public Fleet Week event for about 500 sailors aboard the USS Carl Vinson, a nuclear-powered ship docked in San Diego.
The 1st Marine Division Band performed and gave speeches, including one from local City Councilman Kevin DeLeon, and a moment of silence for members who have fallen in service. The sailors marched a short distance across the bridge and then stood silently.
Although the crowds were thin, in the late afternoon sailors – many of them in their late teens or early twenties – milled around closed bridges and food trucks serving pizza and street tacos.
In the bright sunshine, several sailors took turns riding motorcycles back and forth on the bridge. Another time, a man showed up with a box of Coors under his arm and held out the can.
For some on the team, this was their first trip to Los Angeles.
Sailors from the USS Carl Vinson gather on the Sixth Street Bridge.
(Dakota Smith/Los Angeles Times)
Carmela Bermudez, 19, a Navy technician, sat on the divider next to her boyfriend, Kadin Brewer, 18, who later He is also a naval officer. Brewer handled bombs and ammunition.
“The bridge looks great,” Brewer said. “Curvy…and super long.”
“I’d rather be here than on a boat,” Bermudez said.
Memorial Day is associated with the Civil War, initially to commemorate those soldiers who lost their lives, and later to commemorate more broadly those who lost their lives in service to their country.
The Sixth Street Bridge event is one of many Fleet Week gatherings taking place in the Los Angeles community this year and is part of the Navy’s outreach efforts.
The viaduct reopened in 2022, replacing a popular Streamline Moderne bridge that suffered from what engineers called “concrete cancer” that caused the bridge to continually collapse.
Sailors stand on the Sixth Street Bridge.
(Ryan Sun/AP)
The reopening of the bridge has brought a slew of negative headlines from drag racers and daredevils scaling the bridge’s arches. Today, copper wire theft remains a problem in the area.
Meanwhile, the bridge continues to host cycling and concert events.
Richard Meyer, deputy commander of the U.S. Navy’s Third Fleet, called the bridge “a new icon” for Los Angeles in a brief speech.
He contrasted bridges with oceans, noting that both were conduits for the transfer of commercial trade. He added that the Navy helps protect ocean waterways.
Sailors of the USS Carl Vinson.
(Ryan Sun/AP)
The USS Carl Vinson is set to leave the Port of Los Angeles on Monday evening. The ship is named for U.S. Rep. Carl Vinson (D-Ga.), who helped expand the Navy and was an ardent segregationist.
Adalhi Montes, 34, traveled from Long Beach to attend the event but expressed surprise at the lack of attendance. “Honestly, I wish there were more people here,” Montes said.
Two friends, Kay Pegram, 70, and Leslie Carlson, 80, came forward after hearing the incident on the radio. Both their fathers served in the military.
Friends who live in Hollenback Palms, a retirement community in Boyle Heights, call the bridge “our bridge.” They said they often walked through it to go to the Arts District for dinner.
Both said they were frustrated by the theft of copper wire on the bridge, which is no longer illuminated at night as it was when it debuted two years ago.
“I wish they had more stuff on the bridge,” Carlson said, recalling the gathering after the bridge reopened.
As the band finished “The Star-Spangled Banner,” Pegram shouted, “Come on, Dodgers!”
Sailors from the USS Carl Vinson sit on the railing of the Sixth Street Bridge.
(Ryan Sun/AP)
