6th Street Viaduct

The Sixth Street Viaduct connects Los Angeles' Arts District to Boyle Heights through 11 concrete arch spans designed by Michael Maltzan, replacing a 1932 bridge closed for demolition in January 2016 because of concrete deterioration. The structure crosses Highway 101, the Los Angeles River, and 18 railroad tracks, giving photographers elevated vantage points in multiple directions. At $588 million, the project is the largest bridge construction in Los Angeles history, and an integrated lighting program titled "Connecting communities with a ribbon of light" provides an after-dark subject. The predecessor bridge, designated Historic-Cultural Monument 905 in 2008, featured twin arch pairs over the river that made it a frequent filming location.

The Sixth Street Viaduct, completed in July 2022 after eight years of development, connects Boyle Heights and the Arts District in downtown Los Angeles with ten pairs of undulating arches designed by architect Michael Maltzan. A lighting concept by Leni Schwendinger of Light Projects illuminates the structure, while the space beneath—called the Viaduct PARC—offers sports zones, plazas for food trucks, and native gardens. The original 1932 bridge, a 3,500-foot Streamline Moderne structure designed by Merrill Butler, Louis L. Huot, and Louis Blume, was demolished in 2016 because alkali-silica reaction left it vulnerable to collapse.

The 6th Street Viaduct spans the Los Angeles River, linking Boyle Heights to downtown Los Angeles, with its western side situated in an industrial warehouse district between Mateo Street and the 101 Freeway. The original 1932 span was the last of the LA River bridges constructed between 1910 and 1933 before being demolished due to alkali silica reaction, a condition known as concrete cancer that produced cracks within twenty years of completion. Demolition of the 250-foot concrete deck over the 101 took roughly 40 hours, leaving columns three abreast standing in the riverbed like Roman ruins, while adjacent warehouses were sheathed in wire mesh described as chain mail. The replacement viaduct, finished in 2022, incorporates ten pairs of arches referencing the earlier design, the tallest of which frame the LA River and one spanning US101 to mark an eastern gateway.