KTLA

‘A shame’: 6th Street Bridge closed for 2nd straight night

The newly opened 6th Street Bridge was closed by police Saturday night, marking the second night in a row of closure.

The Los Angeles Police Department said the second closure was due to “illegal activity.”

“The day began with community residents holding signs in the middle of the bridge to “RESPECT THE BRIDGE.”   Let’s listen!,” police said on Twitter.

The first closure was due to a traffic collision, police said. A pickup truck parked in a no-parking zone was struck by another vehicle.

Officials and local residents are wary that more of the made-for-social-media hijinks could begin, possibly encouraging others to also break the law.

So far, speeding and street takeovers have plagued the road, while climbers and bikers have clambered beyond the bridge’s safeguards.

In some of the most visible incidents, a person gave someone else a haircut in the middle of the street while traffic continued, and KTLA’s Jennifer McGraw even had a firework or explosive detonated near her during a report.

In response, police have cracked down on speeders and limited access to the bridge at times, which neighbors seem to support.

“They really are out in full force, motorcycles, cars, even on foot,” one neighbor noted.

Another Angeleno lamented the way people were treating the $588-million bridge that connects Boyle Heights to downtown L.A.

“It’s a shame the citizens of Los Angeles County don’t have more civic pride for the feat of engineering that’s taken place behind them,” one man said.