L.A. Now Live: Discuss plans for Carmageddon 2

The Times' transportation reporter, Ari Bloomekatz, will join City Editor Shelby Grad for a discussion about the second installment of Carmageddon, which unfolds on the 405 Freeway in late September.

The live chat is scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday.

Carmageddon was the popular term for the 10-mile closure of the 405 through the Sepulveda Pass for a weekend last year as construction crews demolished the south side of the Mulholland Drive bridge that spans the freeway. The work is part of a $1-billion project that includes adding a northbound carpool lane on the 405.

This fall's sequel returns Sept. 29 and 30 when the same section -- between the 10 and the 101 freeways -- will be fully closed for 53 hours so crews can demolish the other half of the bridge.

Rather than billing the closure as a recipe for the worst traffic jam ever, city and transportation officials are stressing the joys of a carless weekend.