There also will be five first responders on motorcycles who can get to emergencies quickly. Alicia Mathis of the Los Angeles City Fire Department.Īn additional 13 fire engines and 200 firefighters will be staged on both sides of the Sepulveda Pass. "Being able to get to those locations as quick as possible is the absolute critical factor for us," said Capt. First responders are hoping most people stay off the roads so that emergency vehicles can get to a major accident or fire. Emergency crews say they're ready to respond to anything during Carmageddon 2. Temperatures are expected to soar this weekend, which means the fire danger is high. Those still planning to drive to LAX can use Sepulveda and Lincoln boulevards. Officials suggest that people traveling to and from Los Angeles International Airport use public transit and plan for longer travel times. Balboa Boulevard will get you from the 101 Freeway to the 118 Freeway, and Coldwater Canyon Boulevard will get you over the hill from the valley into the Westside. In the valley, Burbank Boulevard is a good alternative to the 101 Freeway. The best way to get from the valley to the beaches is Topanga Canyon Boulevard. The most popular and busiest will probably be Sepulveda Boulevard. Sawtelle Boulevard also runs parallel to the 405 Freeway, but it ends in Westwood. There are several shortcuts through the valley and the Westside, including La Cienega Boulevard to the north and south. People are being urged to eat, shop and play locally.Ĭar specialist Dave Kunz has your shortcuts through Carmageddon 2 Last year, drivers heeded warnings to stay off the roads and officials hope drivers will do the same again this year. , and there are thousands of people in the Los Angeles basin who are relying on us to make that happen," Kiewit said. The financial part of it is important to us, but I think even more important to us is that we made a commitment to the people of Los Angeles to open it at 5 a.m. "It would be really Carmageddon if it was late. Monday, with ramps reopening at 6 a.m., in time for the morning commute. They hope to reopen the freeway by 5 a.m. Officials are vowing to stay on schedule. "Plus, we have to be careful particularly of one of the columns that just can't fall where it wants to.otherwise, it could damage the newly reconstructed southern half of the bridge." This time, it's four columns," said Metro spokesman Marc Littman. Each of those columns weigh a million pounds. "Last time, there were two columns we had to take down. Officials do not expect to do that this year, because the demolition will be more complicated. If they are not done on time, a late penalty of about $360,000 will be charged to them every hour. The work is all part of the $1-billion Sepulveda Pass Improvements Project, which adds a 10-mile northbound carpool lane.Ĭrews have 53 hours to complete their work. "If people keep on heeding the call, they stay local, shop local, get on Metro, everything's going to be OK," said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Officials said overall traffic delays weren't dramatic and drivers were mostly staying away. Some 4 million pounds of concrete are expected to fall. Watch a live stream of the demolition work on the 405 FreewayĬrews are using a large jackhammer to break apart the bridge. Overnight, workers moved mounds of dirt onto the freeway to provide a 4-foot cushion to protect it during the demolition. There was no damage to the south side of the bridge.Ī 10-mile stretch of the 405 Freeway between the 10 and 101 freeways was completely shut down around midnight Saturday. Officials said the center and western span of the north side bridge was complete, while the eastern span was about 75 percent finished. Once they determined the columns were sound, the chipping away continued.Īs of 11 p.m. Nobody was hurt, but work came to a halt in order for structural engineers to conduct an inspection. "We did not anticipate this, although it's not unusual for a big piece to come down like that." "On an operation of this size, of this magnitude, pieces come down of all different sizes and shapes," said Dan Kulka with Kiewit Construction. A massive section of the 50-year-old old bridge came crashing down - not according to plan. It didn't go exactly as they had planned.
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