You’ve probably heard by now that “Carmageddon” is coming. Next month, a stretch of the I-405 in the Sepulveda Pass will be closed for the July 16-17 weekend. Check out the below information from Metro’s website and avoid the area!
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The Mulholland Dr Bridge will be the third bridge demolished and reconstructed to accommodate the widening of the I-405 freeway and to add a northbound high-occupancy vehicle lane through the Sepulveda Pass. The Mulholland Dr Bridge is scheduled to be demolished and reconstructed after the Skirball Center Dr Bridge. When completed, the expanded, Mulholland Center Dr Bridge will be widened by approximately 10 feet and will be designed to the latest seismic standards.
Demolition activities will take place over the July 16-17 weekend for 53 consecutive hours, resulting in the full freeway closure of the I-405 freeway in the Sepulveda Pass. The Mulholland Dr Bridge will also be closed that weekend. Some intermittent closures of the Mulholland Dr Bridge will occur during the preparation for bridge demolition and bridge reconstruction. Access will always be provided for emergency responders.
Here are the I-405 freeway closure boundaries for the July 16-17 weekend:
- Northbound I-405: 10-mile closure between I-10 and U.S. 101
- Southbound I-405: 4-mile closure between U.S. 101 and Getty Center Drive Ramps
On Friday, July 15, ramps along the 10 mile closure will begin to be shut down as early as 7 p.m., and closure of freeway lanes will begin at 10 p.m. to ensure full freeway closure by midnight. The closure will continue until 5 a.m. Monday morning, July 18. Ramps and connectors will be reopened by 6 a.m.
Completed Mulholland Bridge, South View
Sepulveda Bl is intended as an alternate route for local resident access only. Sepulveda Bl will not have the capacity to accommodate both local and diverted freeway traffic. Those using Sepulveda Bl should expect extreme congestion and lengthy delays. Motorists should instead use alternate regional freeway routes to completely bypass the Sepulveda Pass.
Severe traffic conditions are anticipated in local and regional areas during the weekend of the full freeway closure. Detour maps will be available to reroute local traffic through the area. Also alternative regional freeway routes will be available to encourage the traveling public to avoid this area completely during the weekend of the bridge demolition.
To reduce the impacts on local traffic flow, the Mulholland Dr Bridge demolition and reconstruction will be conducted in two separate phases. The southern half of the bridge will be demolished first, followed by approximately 11 months of south side bridge reconstruction. Upon completion, the northern side of the bridge will be demolished and rebuilt in the same manner.
During reconstruction, the Mulholland Dr Bridge will accommodate one lane of traffic in each direction. The new traffic configurations for the Mulholland Dr Bridge will go into effect in mid-July 2011. Implementing these new traffic configurations and isolating the work zone will help the contractor prepare for demolition. The contractor will be:
- Surveying the existing bridge’s condition
- Removing false deck from inside the bridge
- Installing temporary traffic signals and signs and street lighting
- Surveying and protecting existing utilities
- Setting up construction yards
- Developing detour routes for emergency vehicles
The I-405 project website will have the latest updates regarding construction work.