![]() Some residents are taking the advice of government officials and staying put. It's the height of the summer tourist and beach season, and the 405 is used to get to and from Los Angeles International Airport, Santa Monica and West L.A., the San Fernando Valley and coastal communities like Long Beach and Redondo Beach. ![]() "The hope is that the 405 closure turns out like that, but the reality could be much different," said Marie Montgomery, a spokeswoman for the Auto Club of Southern California. Sound familiar? For those old enough to remember when Los Angeles hosted the crowd-generating Summer Olympics in 1984 the prediction of a traffic nightmare was dire enough to scare motorists out of their cars, leaving the roads less congested than usual. There are no alternative routes nearby that can handle the anticipated overflow, prompting state and regional transportation officials to warn of severe, multihour delays, above and beyond the usual hair-pulling, steering wheel-pounding congestion for which Los Angeles is famous. The affected stretch, running from Interstate 10, the Santa Monica Freeway, to Highway 101, the Ventura Freeway, is traveled by an estimated 500,000 vehicles on a typical weekend, including plenty driven by Bay Area residents heading into Dodger territory for vacation. The 405, as it's known in Southern California parlance, is one of the main traffic arteries in Los Angeles. "For those of you who think you can outsmart this potential mother of all traffic jams," he added, "my advice is simple: save your gas." "Allow me to be blunt: It's going to be a mess out there," Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky posted on his website. They have a plan: Stick close to home, if at all possible.Īnd they have this: no idea what really will transpire when a 10-mile stretch of Interstate 405 in Los Angeles is shut down for 53 hours starting tonight for a road-improvement project in the ultra-busy Sepulveda Pass in the heart of one of the most car-centric cultures in the world. (07-15) 09:27 PDT LOS ANGELES - They have a name for it: Carmageddon. Beginning Friday evening, authorities will begin shutting down a 10-mile segment of the freeway for 53 hours so crews can demolish one side of the Mulholland Drive Bridge as part of a $1 billion highway improvement project. Los Angeles city officials are advising residents to stay home or stay away from the area over the weekend fearing massive traffic jams of what has become known as "Carmageddon." Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images Show More Show Less 5 of5 This Jfile photo shows the Mulholland Drive bridge over Interstate 405, which crosses the Santa Monica Mountains connecting the San Fernando Valley and the Westside of Los Angeles. Los Angeles city officials are advising residents to stay home or stay away from the area over the weekend fearing massive traffic jams of what has become known as "Carmageddon." Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images Show More Show Less 4 of5 Traffic flows under the Mulholland Bridge on Interstate 405 which is slated to be demolished during the 11 miles shut down of Interstate 405 for 53 hours starting on July 16 on Jin Los Angeles, California. ![]() Reed Saxon/AP Show More Show Less 3 of5 Construction workers reinforce the hillside during the Interstate 405 widening project near the Mulholland Bridge which is slated to be demolished during the 11 miles shut down of Interstate 405 for 53 hours starting on July 16on on Jin Los Angeles, California. The closure, a necessary part of a major highway reconstruction project, is being dubbed "Carmageddon." Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images Show More Show Less 2 of5 This Jfile photo shows the Mulholland Drive bridge over Interstate 405, which crosses the Santa Monica Mountains connecting the San Fernando Valley and the Westside of Los Angeles. Starting tomorrow July 15, a 10 mile (16km) stretch of the 405 Ñ a vital artery that links population centers north and south of theSanta Monica Mountains Ñ will shut down for 53 hours. 1 of5 A view facing north over Intersate 405 freeway from the Sunset Blvd overpass in Los Angeles, California July 14, 2011.
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