The drumbeat of “Carmageddon” warnings triggered an instant industry of businesses trying to capitalize on the phenomenon. Farther north, the 405 also connects with the massive load of Interstate 5, California’s backbone highway. 101, a major artery between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The 405’s load is increased by a major interchange with Interstate 10 below the south end of Sepulveda Pass and traffic associated with the University of California, Los Angeles, and Los Angeles International Airport.Īt the north end of the pass, the 405 connects with U.S. Skirting the closure to the west of Sepulveda Pass would require even longer canyon routes between U.S. In between there is no grid of boulevards, just a few narrow, windy canyon roads. Local and long-distance freeway traffic through the mountains has to squeeze through Sepulveda Pass on I-405 or about five miles to the east through Cahuenga Pass, which carries U.S. The populous San Fernando Valley lies on the north side, and the Los Angeles Basin sprawls to the south. The city is divided by the Santa Monica Mountains, which stretch more than 40 miles from near downtown westward through Malibu. The potential for Carmageddon is rooted in Los Angeles’ geography. “I’m upset because we could have been hanging out together right now.” “They made us believe that this weekend was going to be the worst thing ever, so I told my parents to stay home,” he said. One west side resident, David Noll, said he heeded the warnings and told his parents to cancel plans to come from the San Francisco Bay area for a visit. The event got its name when Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky told an early June press conference that “this doesn’t need to be a Carmageddon” if people avoided driving.Īlthough no major delays related to the closure had occurred by midafternoon, a major test of was likely in the evening when Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy, featuring David Beckam, is scheduled to play Spanish heavyweight Real Madrid at Memorial Coliseum south of downtown. “Everybody’s calling this weekend Carmageddon, but seeing the freeway empty it feels more post-apocalyptic,” Standish said.Īuthorities looking at the potential impacts of the $1 billion interstate project spent months giving the public dire warnings. Gail Standish, 47, peddled from Beverly Hills with her bicycling club to a 405 overlook a quarter-mile from the closed span. The plan is to leave the north-side lanes standing until the south side is rebuilt. Powerful machines with long booms hammered away at the south side of the span, which is being removed to allow the interstate to be widened. Progress on demolition of the half-century-old Mulholland Bridge was said to be good. Fajardo said officers now have orders to arrest anyone trying to enter the shuttered freeway.Īdditionally, a suspected drunken driver was arrested after going around barricades to enter the freeway, Fajardo said. “Everyone’s calling this Carmageddon weekend, but it feels like copter-geddon over where we live,” he said.Ĭalifornia Highway Patrol Officer Charmaine Fajardo said a 74-year-old man was arrested for jogging on the closed freeway after police told him he couldn’t do so, and one or more bicyclists also were intercepted on the route.
“It’s been one of the most quiet Saturdays I’ve seen in forever,” said Steven Ramada, who had expected to hear lots of cars honking in front of his Sherman Oaks home but instead only heard news helicopters. “We hope they still listen to what we’re saying and not go out and try to drive through this area, because it is going to be congested if people do that,” said Mike Miles, a district director of the California Department of Transportation, known as Caltrans.Ĭitizens clearly embraced the warnings, leaving neighborhood streets clear near the closure. Officials were optimistic that the public far and wide had gotten the message, though there was some concern that the lack of gridlock would make the public complacent and that drivers would get behind the wheel before the freeway’s scheduled reopening early Monday. Unusually light traffic flowed freely through the nation’s second-largest city despite fears of epic traffic jams spawned by the 53-hour shutdown of a 10-mile stretch of one of the region’s most critical freeways.Īuthorities closed the segment of Interstate 405 on the western side of the metropolis to allow partial demolition of a bridge, warning motorists to stay off the roads or plan alternate routes. LOS ANGELES - Southern Californians appeared today to be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to avoid the dreaded “Carmageddon” - leaving their cars in the garage.
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