The 6th Avenue Viaduct, nicknamed the “ribbon of light” for its illuminated tilting arches, is currently completely dark.
Billy Abellan, who walks the bridge every day from his home in Downtown Los Angeles to the city’s Historic East Side, said he’s watched for months as thieves slowly stripped miles of copper wire from the bridge’s lights. Abellan first noticed the wire theft in October and reported it to the city and police, but he said the thefts continue, even in broad daylight.
First they targeted the lights along the bridge’s walkways, then the lampposts, and most recently the wiring that powers the LEDs that light up the 10 pairs of arches.
Currently, Avellan says it’s a “no man’s land.”
“I used to walk there a lot at night,” said the 52-year-old. “It was beautiful. It was brightly lit. Some people might say it was too bright, but now it’s completely dark and I’m sad about that.”
Copper wire theft has been a serious problem in the area for years, with thieves disabling streetlights and rail tracks to steal the copper wire, which can sell for several dollars a pound at recycling centers.
Five years ago, there were 500 to 600 reported copper wire thefts a year. Last year, Los Angeles saw 6,713 thefts costing more than $17 million to repair, City Councilman Kevin de Leon said at a January press conference.
At the time, 38,000 feet (nearly seven miles) of copper wire was stolen from the 6th Street Bridge, probably worth about $11,000, de Leon said, and he estimated it would cost taxpayers about $2.5 million to repair the lights.
But now it appears that even more copper wires have disappeared.
“We need to understand that this is not just about stealing copper wire. It’s much more than that,” de Leon said in January. “These thieves are literally dismantling our city, looking for parts to sell for scrap.”
Avellan said electrical wiring boxes had been pried open in several places across the bridge, with wires visible sticking out of the ground.
Exposed wires can be seen protruding from a power box on the 6th Street Bridge. (Courtesy of Billy Avellan)
It’s unclear how long it will take officials to fix the bridge’s lights or how much the repairs will cost. A representative for De Leon couldn’t immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.
In February, the Los Angeles City Council formed a task force with the police and the Department of Street Lighting to create a reward system to encourage citizens to come forward with information about thefts. In less than two weeks between late February and early March, the department reported eight incidents of theft and 35 acts of vandalism related to city-owned street lights through an online reporting database, according to an April Police Commission report.
It is unclear whether anyone has been arrested in connection with the copper wire theft from the bridge. Los Angeles Police Department officials did not return calls seeking comment.
Some city officials have suggested considering replacing copper wiring with solar-powered lighting to eliminate the problem, while many others say enforcement efforts should focus on buyers of copper wire who profit from the theft. The task force will inspect recycling centers that accept the metal as part of its prevention and enforcement efforts, according to the committee’s report.
But still the problem is not solved.
City officials could not confirm Wednesday how much copper was stolen from the bridge.
“The Department of Street Lighting is working closely with the City Council Office, Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Los Angeles Police Department and Department of Engineering on planning repairs and curbing the theft and vandalism that is causing the outages,” Tonya Shelton, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Department of Public Works, said in a statement.
Shelton urged anyone who witnesses wire theft or vandalism to call 911.
The $588 million viaduct, which former Mayor Eric Garcetti once called a “love letter to the city,” is due to be built in 2022 to replace a much-loved bridge built in 1932 that had deteriorated over the years.
The opening of the 6th Avenue Bridge was met with jubilant celebrations, but shortly thereafter the landmark became the scene of social media stunts and other illegal activity.
In July 2022, the same month the bridge opened, the Los Angeles Police Department closed it for four out of five days, and the Department of Road Construction installed reflective markers in the middle of the road to discourage drivers from doing doughnuts. People climb the giant arch to take photos. Last May, a teenager fell from the arch and died. In April, a man in his 30s died in a hit-and-run accident on the bridge.
As Avellan prepared for his daily walk across the viaduct Wednesday morning, he said he worried the safety hazards would be exacerbated in the dark, and although he’s started taking walks earlier in the day, he still looks forward to them.
“It’s a great way to take a stroll and see the views of this wonderful city,” he said.