Carmageddon II: Different opinions on freeway widening
Harpreet Ahluwalia pulled out his iPhone and snapped a picture of his wife holding their 1-year-old daughter, Anya, in front of a large photo backdrop set up at the Sherman Oaks Galleria that says simply: "I Survived Carmageddon the Sequel."
The photo features an empty 405 Freeway, which runs alongside the shopping center.
"It's typical L.A," Ahluwalia, 36, said of the backdrop flanked by stage lights. "Because they make a Hollywood production out of it."
Ahluwalia said his family decided to stay close to their Sherman Oaks neighborhood this weekend because of the 10-mile closure of the 405 Freeway that is part of a $1-billion widening project that will add a new carpool lane to the 405.
On Sunday morning, the family walked to the Galleria for breakfast. That's a switch from their normal routine that usually includes a drive down Ventura Boulevard or a trip over the hill to Santa Monica or West Hollywood, Ahluwalia said.
He said the new carpool lane should help ease traffic on the 405.
But, he added, “my wife thinks by the time the carpool lane opens, it won't make a difference because traffic keeps increasing."
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Carmageddon II: Work continues on schedule; 405 set to reopen Monday
--Andrew Khouri in Sherman Oaks
Photo credit: Andrew Khouri
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