A 10-mile stretch of the I-405, one of the busiest freeways in the country, will close for two days next week, leading to what could be Carmageddon II.
In their 2010 song “Dead or Alive on the 405,” the Gin Blossoms sang:
Friday nights are red brake lights,
Stuck in here like cargo
Dead or alive on the 405
Traffic’s moving like a slug
Dead or alive on the 405
Stuck behind a ’68 bug
Los Angeles County transportation officials hope that instead of seeing red brake lights and getting stuck like cargo, motorists will just avoid the whole area as they prepare for Carmageddon: the Sequel.
For the second time in a little more than a year, a 10-mile stretch of the iconic Los Angeles freeway over the Santa Monica Mountains will close completely for two days next weekend.
Transportation officials are using the phrase “Eat, Shop and Play Locally” as they encourage motorists to make plans that do not involve the freeway.
Last year’s original Carmageddon surprised officials as motorists heeded the warnings and avoided the area, leading to one of the lightest traffic weekends in memory.
But traffic officials aren’t taking any chances. For weeks, electronic message boards have carried messages warning of the freeway closure. The agency is even partnering with local shops and restaurants to offer discounts to people who show that they used mass transit to get there.
A local group of artists is trying to turn the closing into a positive, forming Artmageddon to get people to enjoy art in their neighborhood.
“While they tell us all to stay off the freeways and major roads during Carmageddon II, let’s celebrate and support all the great local art happening across Los Angeles,” Artmageddonla.com says.
This isn’t just any old freeway that is closing. Interstate 405 connects the San Fernando Valley, where 1.7 million people live, to the urban West Side, carrying hundreds of thousands of motorists over the Sepulveda Pass. The freeway gets so congested that some people say instead of 405 it should be 4 or 5 because that’s the speed motorists find themselves traveling at times.
It’s closing so workers can demolish the north side of the Mulholland Drive bridge. Last year’s closure was for the demolition of the south side of the bridge. A new, wider and seismically safer bridge will replace the old one. The 405 itself will also be wider, adding a carpool lane.
The 405 is scheduled to reopen at 5 a.m. Monday, just in time for rush-hour traffic. But if it doesn’t reopen on time? That’s when Carmageddon II could turn into “The Traffic Monster that Ate L.A.”