Synopsis

I-405 is going to close, completely, for just over 2 full days. Northbound will be closed for 10 full miles, between U.S. 101 and I-10. Southbound will be closed between U.S. 101 and Getty Center Drive.

While the closure will start at 10pm on Friday July 15th and continue through 5am on Monday July 18th, ramps and connectors in the area will be closed starting as early at 7pm on the 15th, and reopen by 6am on the 18th.

Commuters should *not* expect Sepulveda as an alternate route as that’s intended for local residents, and even so, is expected to be highly congested with very long delays. In general, it’s being recommended to just plan to avoid trips that would normally require the 405 during that weekend.

To put things in perspective, the Southbound I-405 to Northbound US-101 connector is considered to be one of the busiest in the nation. And, on average (AADT), the 405 at Getty Center Drive sees close to 300,000 cars per day. In other words, it may be a good idea to completely avoid the area with the 405 closed.

Full Announcement

Metro, Caltrans, LAPD, CHP, LADOT, and LAFD have put out a joint communication.

Extended 53-Hour Closure of I-405 Freeway Between U.S. 101 and I-10 Planned in Mid-July for Mulholland Bridge Demolition Work

Los Angeles, Calif. ? Plan Ahead, Avoid The Area, Or Stay Home. That?s the message public safety officials are sending to the public in anticipation of a planned 10-mile, 53-hour closure of the I-405 freeway between the U.S. 101 and I-10 on the weekend of July 16-17, 2011 for planned demolition work on the Mulholland Bridge, part of a major I-405 improvement project.

The Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles Fire Department, California Highway Patrol, Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Metro and Caltrans are informing the public in advance that if they do not have a critical need to be in or near the vicinity of the closure, they are being asked to avoid the area.

The specific freeway closure boundaries are as follows:
? 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

Motorists who must travel through the Los Angeles metropolitan area are advised to use alternate freeways within the region, including the 5, 15, 23, 55, 57, 101, 118, 126, 210, 605 and 710 freeways to bypass the impacted area. In addition, public transportation options are available such as the Metro Rail service within L.A. County and Metrolink servicing the five county Southern California region. Additional alternate route information will be made available on the project web site at www.metro.net/405.

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. During this closure, the Mulholland Bridge, I-405 freeway and access ramps will be closed.

Sepulveda Boulevard is intended as an alternate route for local resident access only. Sepulveda Boulevard will not have the capacity to accommodate both local and diverted freeway traffic. Those using Sepulveda Boulevard should expect extreme congestion and lengthy delays. Motorists should instead use alternate regional freeway routes to completely bypass the Sepulveda Pass.

Traffic conditions on local streets and freeways within the region of Los Angeles County and beyond are expected to be severe, with significant, multi-hour delays. Motorists who must travel during this weekend are advised to plan ahead, monitor real-time traffic conditions prior to beginning their trips, and follow alternate routes that are provided. Motorists will be informed of the closure in advance by Caltrans-operated freeway message signs with coverage extending into neighboring counties and other metropolitan regions in the state.

Construction crews for the I-405 Sepulveda Pass Improvements Project plan to demolish half the Mulholland Bridge in the Sepulveda Pass of Los Angeles in order to build a new, widened bridge, and a major carpool lane. The construction activity is part of a $1 billion capacity improvement project for the I-405 freeway.

To reduce the work’s effects on local traffic flow, the Mulholland Bridge demolition and reconstruction will be conducted in two phases. The southern side of the bridge will be demolished first, followed by approximately 11 months of south-side bridge reconstruction. Upon completion of the south side, the northern side of the bridge will be demolished and rebuilt in the same manner. Another extended freeway closure period will be required for the second phase of work approximately one year later.

The Mulholland Bridge, like the Sunset and Skirball Center bridges, must be removed and rebuilt to accommodate the widening of the I-405 freeway as part of the 10-mile northbound carpool lane construction project. The project will officially complete the northbound carpool lane network between Orange County and the San Fernando Valley. 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 and new landscaping within the project corridor.

The $1 billion project is a joint effort between Metro and Caltrans, and is being constructed by Kiewit Infrastructure West Co. It is scheduled for completion in 2013. For latest updates visit the project web site at http://www.metro.net/405 or follow the project on twitter: http://twitter.com/I_405 and Facebook at http://facebook.com/405project

Metro Project Benefits “Fact Sheet”

Overview

The I-405 Sepulveda Pass Improvements Project will add a 10-mile northbound HOV (high-occupancy vehicle) lane, improve supporting infrastructure such as ramps, bridges and sound walls on the San Diego Freeway (I-405), while widening lanes connecting with the Santa Monica Freeway (I-10) and the Ventura Freeway (US-101). Project cost is $1.03 billion.

Project Benefits

– Reduced commuter time
– Reduced air pollution
– Rideshare incentives
– Improved links with the state and regional transportation network

Reducing Economic Impacts

The I-405 Sepulveda Pass Improvements Project will reduce the time residents and businesses sit on a congested I-405. For example, the average trip to work in Los Angeles County is approximately 13 miles long. A majority of these miles is traveled on freeways. If peak freeway speed is approximately 30 miles per hour in a mixed flow lane, and 60 miles per hour in the parallel carpool lane, then each mile of travel in a carpool lane saves one minute.

Consequently, ten miles traveled in a carpool lane on the I-405 saves 10 minutes. Spread over the length of an average working year, 320 days, this time saving grows to more than 50 hours saved per year.

Viewed another way, the lost time sitting in traffic translates to a great deal of wasted money. Using the United States Department of Transportation guidelines and Census information, the average price of sitting in traffic costs almost $10 per hour in Los Angeles County. Every hour saved means money in the pocket of a commuter or money added to a business? bottom line.

Increasing Safety

By standardizing lane widths, shoulder widths and bridge clearances, the widening project will reduce congestion. This e=ort will also increase safety. Currently, there is a high percentage of rear-end crashes occurring in both directions on the I-405, which is caused by stop-and-go driving on a congested highway.

Enlarging Capacity

The 10-mile segment of the I-405 within the project limits was originally constructed between 1958 and 1963, when Los Angeles and the region had millions fewer residents. Now this segment is extremely congested most of the day.

As a result, stop-and-go traffic conditions last two- to five-hours during the morning and evening commutes. These conditions are further exacerbated by vehicle merging, crashes, breakdowns and other rami?cations of congestion. If capacity improvements are not made, conditions will continue to deteriorate due to population growth alone.

Because of the project?s location and the constraints associated with development in the area, the I-405 Sepulveda Pass Improvements Project will not have a large influence on future traffic. However, the increased capacity of this improved section of the I-405 will reduce the 16,080 vehicle hours in Daily Vehicle Delay expected by 2030.

Increasing Carpool Incentives Caltrans District 7 is already home to the country?s most extensive HOV lane program. In fact, the I-405 Sepulveda Pass Improvements Project is a component of Caltrans? plan to add carpool lanes to virtually every freeway in the Los Angeles area, including the entire I-405 corridor in Los Angeles County.

Approximately 800,000 people a day already use Los Angeles County carpool lanes. The addition of the northbound carpool lane on the I-405 will likely increase that total because the new HOV lane will access Los Angeles International Airport, UCLA and the Getty Center ? all venues that attract carpooling and vanpooling.

Whether they carpool or not, all drivers will bene?t from the increased capacity added by the new HOV lane. The new lane brings added incentive for people to carpool or vanpool by o=ering continuous carpool lanes between the San Fernando Valley and Orange County. And the carpool lane itself increases capacity because it can move twice as many people as a mixed-flow lane.

Reducing Intersection Congestion

The congestion drivers ?nd on the I-405 spills to local intersections. Due to excessive travel demand on the I-405, many drivers take longer, alternative routes, spilling traffic from the highway onto parallel roadways, increasing local congestion. For example, 14 of the 53 intersections in the project area operate at an F level of service (the lowest level) during the morning and evening commutes.