LOS ANGELES (CNN) — Although the real test of midday traffic was a few hours away, Los Angeles commuters Saturday were either avoiding or successfully navigating roads near a closed stretch of Interstate 405, traffic maps indicated.but the quiet conditions allowed Metro officials to cancel several late-night trains that were specially added for the weekend, CNN affiliate KTLA reported.”So far, we’re still ‘Saturday morning light,’ ” Mike Miles, the California Department of Transportation’s director for Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, said at a morning news conference. “We don’t know if that’s just because it’s Saturday morning or if people were listening to the message” to avoid driving.”Right now, everything is flowing green,” he added about traffic on Los Angeles’ highway system.the closure of the 405 is being deemed such a potentially calamitous event that locals are calling it the “Carmaggedon.”That’s because southern California is notorious for its love affair with the automobile and its reluctance to embrace public transportation. one of the busiest freeways in the country, the 405 is one of two mountain passes in the heart of Los Angeles and is the major coastal artery connecting southern California with the rest of the state.”We are the car capital of the United States of America and the single passenger car capital,” Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told CNN.with a 10-mile stretch of Interstate 405 closed for the demolition of a bridge section, officials expected to learn Saturday whether drivers heeded their “Carmageddon” advice: Stay away from the area, take transit and don’t cause traffic jams by getting on roads not deemed preferred alternate routes.the closure of a 10-lane highway in the nation’s second-largest city made for a surreal scene overnight — a stretch of freeway without any traffic. it is expected to remain that way for about 53 hours.CNN affiliate KABC featured a webcam chronicling the progress of the bridge demolition.Crews closed ramps late Friday on the 405, where it passes over the Santa Monica Mountains, California Department of Transportation officials said.the $1.2 billion construction project calls for replacing a portion of a bridge at Mulholland Drive, a mountain summit road that is featured in many Hollywood films, authorities said. a year from now, crews will have to shut down the 405 again to replace a final portion of the Mulholland Drive bridge, officials said.Villaraigosa said officials carried out “an unprecedented” public awareness campaign urging motorists to stay off the road or use public transportation.”It doesn’t have to be ‘Carmageddon.’ That’s why we have done so much outreach to the public,” the mayor said.the weekend construction project should be completed by 5 a.m. Monday, to accommodate the morning rush hour, officials said.the project also calls for adding a car-pool lane in each direction, creating “the largest HOV system in the world” at 48.6 miles in length between the San Fernando Valley and Orange County, said Miles of the California Department of Transportation.the two-year project will replace two more bridges, also to accommodate the widening of the 405, and will improve about two dozen on-off ramps and add 18 miles of sound-deadening walls for nearby residents, Miles said.”This is a big project that is much needed, and it will be a great benefit to the public,” Miles said.Rendered desolate over the weekend are a 10-mile stretch of all five northbound lanes and a four-mile stretch of all five southbound lanes, officials said.the 405 is usually one of the busiest freeways in the country, carrying about 500,000 cars a day through the Sepulveda Pass, a critical artery connecting Californians along the coast. the 405 achieved notoriety on national television as the corridor that former NFL player O.J. Simpson used as he was being slowly chased by police in 1994.the highway also cuts through the west side of Los Angeles, an area that includes the high-status communities of Bel Air, Brentwood, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica.Whether it has been overdramatized by locals in the nation’s entertainment capital, the project has brought countdown clocks, traffic apps, detour maps and warnings to stay away or enjoy the weekend on the couch. Amtrak and JetBlue are offering specials to get away from it all.”Severe traffic conditions are anticipated in local and regional areas during the weekend of the full freeway closure,” Metro warned on its website.the four-mile southbound section is closed between U.S. 101 and Getty Center Drive ramps. the 10-mile northbound section is closed between U.S. 101 and Interstate 10.Los Angeles International Airport is urging travelers to get there by public transit, especially rail, or to stay at nearby hotels for early morning flights.There is an app, or several, for “Carmageddon.”KABC has partnered with Waze to help navigate the traffic. “The app provides free turn-by-turn GPS navigation based on the live conditions of the road,” the station said.Celebrities are even tweeting — cheekily — about this weekend’s affront to the Los Angeles driving experience.Twitter titan and actor Ashton Kutcher has gotten into the act: “LAPD askd me 2tweet: 405fwy btwn 10 & 101 will b closed July16-17. In xchange I would like a free pass on that stoplight tickt IT WAS YELLOW.”When shown a copy of the tweet while he was being interviewed on CNN, the mayor laughed about the request to fix the ticket. “No, thank you, Ashton,” Villaraigosa said.CNN’s Zohreen Adamjee contributed to this report.Copyright CNN 2011
So Far, ‘Carmageddon’ Lacks Woe In Los Angeles
July 16th, 2011
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Tags: Calamitous Event, California Department, Carmaggedon, Cnn, Cnn Affiliate, Commuters, freeways, Interstate 405, Ktla, late night, Locals, Metro Officials, Midday, Morning News, news conference, Night Trains, public transportation, Saturday Morning, Southern California, Traffic Maps, Ventura Counties, Woe
