I-405 UPDATE: Mulholland Bridge Closure

Just after midnight on Friday, July 15, the 405 Freeway will be closed in both directions-from Getty Center Drive to the 101-for 53 straight hours so that the south side of the Mulholland Bridge can be demolished The freeway will be closed all of Saturday and Sunday, and will not reopen until 5 a.m. on Monday, July 18.

With a half million or so vehicles moving along that stretch of the 405 during a typical July weekend, the closure has the potential of becoming a midsummer night’s nightmare for motorists heading to LAX, the beach or other destinations. But, with enough planning and advance notice, Metro officials say that the worst can be averted. “This is manageable as long as the public cooperates. They’ve got a lot of summer plans and we don’t want them to be surprised,” said Metro spokesman Marc Littman. “If you can stay home, great. If you don’t have to drive, great.” And if you do have to get behind the wheel, follow the officially marked detours, which by that point will have been widely publicized.

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 a weekend for 53 consecutive hours, resulting in the full freeway closure of the I-405 freeway. The Mulholland Dr Bridge and both directions of the I-405 freeway will be closed roughly between the US 101 freeway to the Getty Center Dr ramps. 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.

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. Sepulveda Bl will be used as a detour route during the weekend of the Mulholland 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 early summer 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. ( http://lite.metro.net/projects/I-405/ )

Deborah Bremner
The Bremner Group at Coldwell Banker
REALTOR, 00588885,
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