(NewsNation) — Just two weeks after it opened to traffic, police were forced to close off a new bridge in Los Angeles for the third night in a row Sunday to prevent illegal activity.
The Sixth Street Bridge was first closed Friday night due to a traffic collision, and was shut down Saturday evening after police responded for “illegal activity.” The bridge, which connects the Boyle Heights neighborhood with downtown Los Angeles, has been plagued with street racing, while bicyclists and pedestrians have disregarded the bridge’s safeguards, NewsNation affiliate KTLA reported.
On Sunday night, police once again said “questionable activity” was forcing the closure of the bridge. Videos posted online have shown people climbing on the bridge, drivers doing burnouts and in one instance, a man getting a haircut in the middle of traffic.
Once featured in many films including “Grease,” the original Sixth Street Bridge, built in 1932, was closed and demolished in 2016 due to concerns over structural damage and its ability to withstand earthquakes. The new bridge opened July 9.
One resident told KTLA he lamented the way people were treating $588 million bridge, the largest and most expensive the city has ever built, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“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,” he said.
As the videos of the shenanigans garner more attention online, some are worried more will be encouraged to engage in the same acitivity.
“This is the first bridge built in the Instagram era — and as we’ve seen, people will do anything in the pursuit of going viral,” said Los Angeles City Councilman Kevin de Leon. “That’s why we’re moving quickly on a multipronged effort that will keep folks from harming themselves and others.”