Marking the second bridge replacement milestone for the I-405 Sepulveda Pass Improvements Project, contractors are set to begin demolition of one-half of the Skirball Center Drive Bridge in theSepulveda Pass beginning Tuesday night, Oct. 12 for approximately five consecutive nights.
This demolition work will require some full freeway closures in the area as well as individual freeway lane closures in order to safely demolish the north side of the bridge.
Work is anticipated to take place between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. over the five-night period. Actual bridge demolition is planned between 12 a.m. and 5 a.m. Two nights of bridge abutment demolition are planned approximately one month later. While the bridge will be closed during night-time demolition, it will be opened again to thru traffic by 6 a.m. the next morning.
Planned freeway closures are as follows:
Oct. 12,13 — Southbound I-405 freeway from Burbank Boulevard to Getty Center Drive
Oct. 14,15 — Northbound I-405 freeway from Getty Center Drive to Ventura Boulevard
Oct. 16 — Northbound Skirball Center Drive off-ramp
The demolition schedule and associated closures may change if the contractor is able to complete demolition work earlier than currently planned.
Access to surrounding local streets, the freeway and freeway ramps during demolition will be impacted. To keep traffic moving, detours will be set up and traffic control officers will be stationed at critical locations to help direct traffic. Detailed information on all closures, including recommended detours, will be made available in advance on metro.net/405.
During freeway closures, Sepulveda Boulevard will remain open and can be used as a primary detour route. Emergency vehicle access will be maintained at all times.
Skirball Bridge demolition and reconstruction will be conducted in two separate phases. The north side of the bridge will be demolished first. That will be followed by approximately seven months of north side bridge reconstruction. Upon completion of the north side of the bridge, the south side of the bridge will be demolished and rebuilt in the same manner.
Construction work is being coordinated with Caltrans and City of Los Angeles to minimize traffic impacts as much as possible.
When completed, the seismically enhanced Skirball Bridge’s columns will be repositioned to accommodate the additional freeway lane created by the project.
The Skirball Bridge is the second of three major bridges to be rebuilt as part of the three and a half-year construction project. One-half of the Sunset Bridge was demolished in late July. MulhollandBridge work is now scheduled to begin in early 2011.
As a design-build project, construction schedules are dynamic and subject to change. The latest construction updates will be made available on the project web site and on Twitter at twitter.com/I_405.
Background
The $1 billion project, a joint partnership between the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) and Caltrans, will create a 10-mile carpool lane on the northbound I-405 between I-10 and U.S. 101 Freeways. The project will add capacity to one of the busiest freeways in the region and make it safer. Other project enhancements include the improvement of supporting freeway infrastructure such as ramps and sound walls.
More Information
For additional project information and ongoing construction updates, visit www.metro.net/405 or call the project hotline at 213-922-3665.
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