June 22, 2014 – Construction has begun for the Universal City Station pedestrian bridge, Inside Universal has learned.
The $19.5 million dollar project – part of the larger NBCUniversal Evolution Plan – seeks to link the popular Universal City Metro station to Universal City Tower Plaza, allowing guests to access the Universal City tram service uninhibited. The pedestrian bridge will be constructed over Lankershim Boulevard and Universal Hollywood Drive, following the current path of the existing pedestrian street-level crossing paths.
The current pedestrian bridge project is seen as an alternative to the original underground proposal, which called for a pedestrian tunnel to Universal City. The tunnel concept was eventually scrapped due to cost constraints, and the bridge project was reintroduced with the recent approval of the NBCUniversal Evolution Plan. With the current project underway, NBCUniversal has agreed to fund a portion of construction costs, with the remainder funded by Proposition A.
Crews will begin fencing construction at the base of Universal City Tower on June 23, 2014 for five days. In the interim, construction crews will be directing traffic away from the open construction area.
Jon Fu is the editor-in-chief of Inside Universal.
Jon originally founded InsideUniversal.net in 2006 as a summer hobby aimed at providing families and fans a resource for all things “Universal Studios Hollywood.” Since then, the website has taken him throughout the United States and around the world – including to places like Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Singapore.
Jon currently resides in Santa Cruz, California. You may reach him at jon@insideuniversal.net.
