http://thesource.metro.net/2014/01/14/jamzilla-is-coming-unprecedented-80-hour-paving-operation-planned-for-northbound-405-presidents-day-weekend/
By Dave Sotero, January 14, 2014
Northbound traffic on the 405 through the Sepulveda Pass will be greatly
curtailed President’s Day weekend. Avoid the area if you can.
Los Angeles transportation officials are alerting
I-405 and regional freeway motorists of an unprecedented 80-hour
northbound I-405 freeway lane closure operation in the Sepulveda Pass
this Presidents’ Day weekend, February 14 to 18, 2014.
The Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), in
conjunction with California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), Los
Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), and a host of law
enforcement and emergency response agencies throughout L.A. County are
giving the public advance notice that if they do not have a critical
need to travel northbound through West Los Angeles and the Sepulveda
Pass during the Presidents’ Day three-day weekend, they should
eliminate unnecessary auto trips, avoid the area and/or divert to other freeways to avoid major traffic delays.
Traffic conditions on local streets and freeways within the region of
Los Angeles County and beyond could become severe, with significant,
hours-long delays if motorists do not cooperate with authorities and
limit northbound freeway trips.
Motorists who must travel during this weekend are advised to prepare their itineraries in advance
,
monitor real-time traffic conditions prior to beginning their trips and
follow alternate routes that are provided. Motorists will be
continually informed of the closure in advance by Caltrans-operated
freeway message signs.
The I-405 contractor will be paving a major segment of the future
northbound I-405 High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane in the Sepulveda
Pass. The work is considered key to meeting the project’s scheduled
completion date of 2014.
Work over the Presidents’ Day weekend will eliminate the need for
several consecutive 55-hour freeway closures from the project schedule.
This closure operation will save significant time and minimize future
closure impacts to the community and traveling public.
The closure operation consists of a partial day-time lane reduction
and a full night-time directional freeway closure on the northbound
I-405 between Getty Center Drive and Ventura Boulevard. The closure
area is approximately 5.6 miles long, or nearly two-thirds of the entire
I-405 project area.
During daytime hours, two northbound lanes will remain open while the
remaining three lanes will be closed. During night-time hours, all
five northbound freeway lanes in this area will be closed.
The southbound I-405 will remain fully open during the day, but some
southbound lanes may be closed during night-time only paving operations.
Work is scheduled to begin Friday night, February 14 starting at 11 p.m. and will last until Tuesday, February 18 at 6 a.m.
Ramps within the project area will begin to close as early as 7 p.m.
Traffic officers provided by LADOT will help guide motorists at each
I-405 northbound on-ramp.
Full northbound night-time freeway closure times are as follows:
- Friday night, February 14 – 1 a.m. to 6 a.m.
- Saturday night, February 15 - 2 a.m. to 7 a.m.
- Sunday night, February 16 – 12 a.m. to 5 a.m.
- Monday night, February 17 – 12 a.m. to 5 a.m.
The designated alternative route for night-time full closures will be
for motorists to take the Wilshire northbound to westbound off-ramp to
northbound Sepulveda Boulevard, returning to northbound I-405 at the
Greenleaf northbound on-ramp.
Sepulveda Boulevard also will be fully open with two lanes in each
direction during the paving operation. However, Sepulveda Boulevard
will not have the capacity to accommodate all diverted northbound
freeway traffic, and could become severely congested. Freeway motorists
should instead divert to other freeway routes.
I-10 connectors to the northbound I-405 also will be closed.
Motorists detouring from the closed I-10 connectors should use freeway
detour routes rather than local streets.
The connector detour routes will be as follows:
- For eastbound I-10 to northbound I-405 – use northbound I-110, northbound US 101, to northbound I-405.
- For westbound I-10 to northbound I-405 – use northbound I-5, westbound SR 134, northbound US 101, to northbound I-405.
The construction schedule is subject to change, and paving work is
dependent on favorable weather conditions. In the event of inclement
weather during the 80-hour closure, the project will commence continuous
55-hour weekend closures of the northbound freeway starting the
following weekend, February 21 for up to four weekends to complete the
originally intended work.
The I-405 Sepulveda Pass Improvements project has now concluded most
major freeway widening work between the I-10 and U.S. 101. The
contractor is now building the future northbound HOV lane that will
connect West Los Angeles with the San Fernando Valley.
The project will officially complete the last remaining gap in the
entire I-405 lane network.
Additional project benefits include improved
freeway safety through standardized lane and shoulder widths, greater
ramp capacities at key locations, new sound and retaining walls, widened
overpasses, widened and seismically updated bridges.
The project is a joint effort between Metro and Caltrans, and is being constructed by Kiewit Infrastructure West Co.