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Community Corner

Carmageddon II: Full 405 Closure Coming in September

Another 10-mile full closure of the San Diego (405) Freeway through the Sepulveda Pass is announced Thursday.

Another 10-mile full closure of the San Diego (405) Freeway through the Sepulveda Pass—already being billed as "Carmageddon II"— will take place the weekend of Sept. 29-30 so crews can demolish the other half of the Mulholland bridge over the freeway, transportation officials announced Thursday.

Officials with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority have already begun advising motorists across the state to plan ahead and avoid the area that weekend to prevent massive traffic congestion.

"This closure will surely impact the nearly 250,000 motorists from all over the county that travel the Sepulveda Pass each day on the weekend," said Metro board chairman and Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich. "Law enforcement, transportation and emergency response agencies strongly advise that county residents make plans in advance to use an alternate route or transit."

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The first "Carmageddon" occurred in July 2011, but the anticipated massive traffic congestion never materialized, as motorists apparently got the message to avoid the area and stay home that weekend. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, also a Metro board member, said today that while trouble never arose last year, residents should not "become complacent" this time around.

"Rather, let's join together to enjoy another car-light or car-free weekend with family and friends," he said. "Let's all help get this critical job done safely and without incident."

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Sepulveda Boulevard will be available as an alternate route during the closure for local traffic only.

On Sept. 28, ramps along the closure area will begin to be shut down as early as 7 p.m., and individual freeway lanes will begin at 10 p.m., with the entire freeway expected to be closed by midnight between the Santa Monica (10) and Ventura (101) freeways.

The closure is expected to continue until 5 a.m. Oct. 1, although during last year's closure, the contractor finished its work 17 hours earlier than expected.

Metro officials said an early completion was unlikely in September, because two sets of bridge columns must be removed, compared with one last year. The demolition work will also be more complicated because of inactive utility lines, according to Metro.

The demolition and reconstruction of the Mulholland bridge is part of the $1 billion Sepulveda Pass improvement project that is adding a 10-mile northbound carpool lane and making other upgrades along the route. The project is expected to be completed next year.

"During Carmageddon I, drivers proved the skeptics wrong," said County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, another member of the Metro board. "They heard our warnings and stayed off the roads, creating a traffic breather not seen since the free-flowing freeways of the 1984 Olympics. I have every confidence they'll rise to the occasion again.

"So give your stress a rest. Get out of your cars. Take a walk, plant a garden, have a barbecue with neighbors," he said. "Let's make this another Carmageddon-Schmarmageddon experience for us all."

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