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.
