Wilshire Boulevard between Fairfax Avenue and Spaulding Avenue has closed to traffic for the first of 18 consecutive weekends. The current closure began at 10 p.m. on Friday, February 10, and will extend through 6 a.m. on Monday, notes Metro.

The closures will allow Metro crews to excavate the street and sidewalk, and place temporary concrete decking slabs. The work is part of the Purple Line Subway extension, which will see a station at Fairfax by 2023.

"The decking will create a temporary roadway to allow work to proceed underground while traffic is maintained on the street," notes Metro. "This operation requires full closures to safely remove and replace the street with new concrete panels. Sidewalk access will be maintained on the north side of Wilshire, with intermittent sidewalk closures and pedestrian detours for the south side."

The 18 consecutive weekends of closures are the first phase of the decking process around Fairfax. Two more phases will see work extend west down Wilshire, eventually to San Diego Way.

Metro suggests using 6th Street as a detour route during the weekend closures.