Photo: Juan Ocampo/LA Metro via AP

A gigantic tunnel boring machine has achieved a historic breakthrough in downtown Los Angeles.

The 400-foot-long machine, dubbed “Angeli,” broke through a wall of dirt and arrived at a future subway station Thursday. It's a milestone for construction of a tunnel that will link three subway lines.

The station near Walt Disney Concert Hall is 110 feet below street level — the deepest point in the LA subway system.

The machine began boring in February and has more work to do. A second, parallel tunnel is also planned.

The nearly 2-mile-long connector will cost about $2 billion to build. When the project's finished in 2012, commuters will be able to ride from East Los Angeles to coastal Santa Monica without changing trains.

The line's expected to serve 88,000 riders daily.

Today's top stories

Blalock Crews Build TDOT's $67M Newport Bypass

New Bridges Part of Iowa's $114M Madison Avenue Project

Eagle Bridge Co. Works On Final Leg of U.S. 35 Upgrade

SAKAI Achieves Record Sales, Production

Takeuchi Recognizes Top Dealers at 2024 Dealer Summit

Equip Expo's Summer Giveaway Offers a Chance for Lifetime Trade Show Registration, Gift Card, Hotel Stay

Tennessee's Pugmill Systems LLC Expands Its Product Offerings to Include Concrete Plants

ASCENDUM Machinery Opens New Savannah, Ga., Facility