Pasadena’s Tetra Tech Tapped to Relight LA’s Darkened Sixth Street Bridge

The City of Los Angeles has hired Pasadena-headquartered Tetra Tech to restore lighting on the Sixth Street Viaduct, the $588 million bridge left dark for nearly two years after thieves stripped almost seven miles of copper wire from its lighting system, according to a news release from Los Angeles City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s office.

The $5.3 million contract, announced February 18, covers both the bridge and the adjacent Sixth Street PARC project. Tetra Tech began design work in January and must complete the lighting restoration — including wiring for roadways, barriers, ramps, stairways and the bridge’s signature arches — before the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games arrive in Los Angeles, according to Jurado’s office. The design work for the bridge lighting alone is estimated at roughly $1 million.

Tetra Tech, a global engineering and consulting firm traded on the NASDAQ (TTEK), has been based on East Foothill Boulevard in Pasadena since the company was founded in 1966. The firm employs 30,000 people across 550 offices worldwide and reported revenue of $4.62 billion in fiscal year 2025.

The Sixth Street Viaduct opened in July 2022 as a 3,500-foot tied arch bridge connecting Boyle Heights to the downtown Arts District. Known as the “Ribbon of Light” for its 10 pairs of illuminated arches, the structure won the American Council of Engineering Companies’ 2023 Grand Conceptor Award for the year’s top engineering achievement. But copper wire theft plagued the bridge almost immediately, and by mid-2024, thieves had stripped the wiring that powered its LED system, leaving the span largely dark at night.

Boyle Heights alone generated nearly 2,000 streetlight service requests in 2024, driven by copper theft and aging infrastructure, according to 311 data cited by LAist.

The LA Bureau of Engineering selected Tetra Tech through a procurement process, according to Jurado’s office. Beyond restoring wiring, the firm will fortify pull boxes, service cabinets and conduits to deter future theft, and will install a security camera system to prevent vandalism, the news release stated.

“When our streets are well-lit, our neighborhoods feel safer and more connected,” Jurado said in the news release. “The Sixth Street Bridge plays a vital role in connecting Angelenos between the Eastside and the heart of the City.”

Jurado, who represents Council District 14, pledged on election night in 2024 to address the bridge’s lighting. “My first order of business in the first 100 days, we’re looking to light up CD 14,” she told Boyle Heights Beat at the time. “Our Sixth Street Bridge has no lighting.”

The Bureau of Engineering recommended using Tetra Tech’s existing contract for the Sixth Street PARC project — a 12-acre green space being built underneath and adjacent to the bridge — to ensure the lighting work is completed on time for the Olympics. The PARC project, which stands for Park, Arts, River and Connectivity, will include sports fields, fitness equipment, event spaces and a performance stage. Its grand opening is expected later this year, according to officials.

The city has also launched a social media campaign inviting residents to help choose colors for the PARC project, according to Jurado’s office.

Last year, the Los Angeles City Council approved an ordinance offering rewards of $1,000 or $5,000 for information about copper wire theft and metal theft tied to the Sixth Street Bridge, according to City News Service reports. In 2024, the LAPD formed the Heavy Metal Task Force to combat metal theft in the downtown area.

Separately, Jurado announced February 20 that her streetlight repair crew has restored lighting for more than 400 streetlights across her district, including in Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights and El Sereno, according to an Instagram post from her office.

“Partnering with Tetra Tech moves us one step closer to restoring one of the City’s most iconic landmarks as a safe, welcoming public space our communities deserve,” Jurado said.