Dubbed ‘Carmaggedon’ by local media, this weekend’s traffic chaos in L.A. is due to the closure of the 405, as construction crews destroy half the Mulholland Bridge in the Sepulveda Pass.
The affected portion of freeway is one of the busiest in the U.S., with about 330,000 vehicles traveling through the Sepulveda Pass daily, KESQ reports.
Some businesses in the area, including hospitals, are worried their employers won’t be able to arrive to work on time. “Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center chief Posie Carpenter said not enough planning has gone into getting hospital employees to their jobs,” as The Signal writes.
The L.A. Times includes a handy list of roads to avoid thanks to the added traffic clogging those routes.
Residents are being urged to steer clear of the area. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslovsky said, “The best alternative route is to totally avoid the 405 area, completely avoid it, don’t come anywhere near it, don’t even think about coming to it. Stay the heck out of here.”
The 405 freeway is expected to reopen by 6 a.m. Monday, July 18. The construction is part of the $1 billion project in L.A., to be completed in 2013, to widen the highway and add an additional carpool lane.
