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.

FULL COVERAGE: Carmageddon II

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

Carmageddon II: Business as usual for Sherman Oaks hotel

Located just north of the closed stretch of the 405 Freeway in Sherman Oaks, the Best Western Plus Carriage Inn would seem like a prime spot for some Carmageddon impacts.

Not so much.

"Business as usual," manager Anthony Pagtalunan said calmly while leaning over the reception counter at the inn, located near the intersection of Burbank and Sepulveda boulevards.

For Pagtalunan personally, Carmageddon II has pretty much been a breeze. Saturday night, the Sherman Oaks resident went to Los Angeles International Airport to pick up his wife, who was returning from the Philippines.

With the 405 closed through the Sepulveda Pass, the 40-year-old said he simply went around, taking the 101 Freeway to the 110 and then the 105. 

And there were no traffic problems, he said.

As Carmageddon II seems to be playing out much like the first — a success — Pagtalunan attributed the lack of problems to a heavy public outreach campaign.

"My wife was told by Immigration that the 405 was closed," he said.

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Carmageddon II: More street closures Sunday for triathlon

Carmageddon II: Rollerbladers, newlyweds cited at closed 405

Carmageddon II: Work continues on schedule; 405 set to reopen Monday

— Andrew Khouri in Sherman Oaks

Carmageddon II: Rollerbladers, newlyweds cited at closed 405

California Highway Patrol officers cited seven people on the 405 Freeway on Sunday morning, including a group of rollerbladers and newlyweds who wanted to celebrate on the closed roadway.

A 10-mile section of the freeway was closed for the weekend as crews demolish a section of the Mulholland Drive bridge, part of a $1-billion freeway-widening project that will add a new carpool lane to the 405.

Officer Rick Quintero said the first citation came about 3 a.m. when a pedestrian was cited for trying to enter the northbound lanes of the freeway at Sunset Boulevard.

FULL COVERAGE: Carmageddon II

The next two citations came about 40 minutes later at the same spot when two people were cited for trying to get on the southbound lanes of the freeway. The two were "recently married and wanted to celebrate on the freeway," Quintero said.

"Their wedding gift was a citation," he said.

The final round came about 6 a.m. when officers discovered four rollerbladers exiting the freeway near the Getty Center, Quintero said.

PHOTOS: Carmageddon II

All seven people were cited, not arrested, for being pedestrians on a freeway, Quintero said.

CHP warned earlier this week there would be "zero tolerance" for pranksters hoping to repeat some of the antics seen during the first Carmageddon last year. 

“People are either going to get arrested or they’re going to get cited,” spokesman Ming-Yang Hsu said. “Our department was basically embarrassed by the shenanigans that occurred [last year] and people posting it all. Even though we were being lenient … we’re cutting that out now.”

Quintero said it was a matter of safety — not only for those wanting to get on the freeway, but for workers doing maintenance along the closed route.

"It's unsafe," he said.

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Live discussion: Mayor Villaraigosa talks Carmageddon II

Carmageddon II: More street closures Sunday for triathlon

Carmageddon II: Work continues on schedule; 405 set to reopen Monday

— Kate Mather and Matt Stevens

Photo: The 405 Freeway is empty as construction continues on the Mulholland Drive bridge on Saturday. Credit: Bret Hartman / For The Times

Carmageddon II: Work continues on schedule; 405 set to reopen Monday

By sunrise Sunday construction crews working on the 405 Freeway widening project were back on schedule after suffering a glitch when a large chunk of concrete fell unexpectedly during demolition of a section of the Mulholland Bridge, forcing a work slowdown.

Officials said the large section of concrete was demolished overnight, along with two pillars from the bridge, and that a 10-mile section of the freeway that is closed this weekend for the demolition work is expected to open at 5 a.m. Monday as planned.

The bridge demolition work is part of a $1 billion freeway widening project that will add a new carpool lane to the 405 Freeway.  

After a quick assessment of Saturday's incident, engineers determined that the bridge demolition could go forward.

“This is not cause for concern,” officials said in a statement about the unexpected collapse. “It did not damage the newly constructed portion of the bridge nor should it cause any delays.”
 
Meanwhile, stretches of some of the Los Angeles’ busiest Westside and downtown streets will be closed Sunday to accommodate about 2,500 participants in the HerbalLife Triathlon Los Angeles, which begins in Venice Beach at 7:15 a.m.

The closure of parts of Venice Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue could add to congestion on the Westside because of the temporary shutdown of the 405 Freeway. Venice Boulevard will likely reopen about 10 a.m.

At sunrise, more than a hundred people were milling around the starting point of the triathlon. Samia Karimi, 38, and her daughter, Sophia, 5, came out to see Karimi’s boyfriend, Andrew Kwan, participate in the event.

Karimi said she drove to Los Angeles from her home in Simi Valley about 8 p.m. Friday, avoiding the 405 Freeway.

"There's always PCH," she said, referring to Pacific Coast Highway.

What's tougher, dealing with the 405 at rush hour or a triathlon?

"405. Definitely," said B.J. Wickett, 34, who is competing in his 9th triathlon.

From the time the race begins until about 12:15 p.m., workers will close a portion of Olympic Boulevard as athletes make their way downtown.

The final two closures will occur on Olympic Boulevard from Cherry to Figueroa Street, and on Grand Avenue from 11th Street to 1st Street, officials said. The triathletes will end the competition at L.A. Live, and downtown streets should be reopened no later than noon.

City transportation officials have warned that people driving toward the triathlon course Sunday morning can expect detours. They suggest people take shuttles or use Washington, Olympic or Pico boulevards or the 10 Freeway. For those heading north or south, they recommend Sepulveda Boulevard or Lincoln Boulevard or Centinela Avenue.

Residents and visitors parked along the triathlon route should watch for temporary "no parking" signs to avoid citations and tows. Police and traffic officers will be on hand to keep vehicles from crossing the course.

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Officials caution drivers on Carmageddon II

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-Ari Bloomkatz and Joseph Serna

Carmageddon II: Bridge demolition slowed after glitch

Demolition crews taking down a portion of the Mulholland Drive bridge that traverses the 405 Freeway got a slight scare Saturday afternoon when a large chunk of the bridge fell unexpectedly and forced a work slowdown.

But after a quick assessment, engineers determined that the demolition, which is part of a $1-billion freeway and bridge widening project, could go forward. A portion of the bridge is being demolished so that the 405 can be widened to add a new carpool lane.

The freeway, which is shut down this weekend between the 10 and 101 freeways, is scheduled to reopen at 5 a.m. Monday.

“We expect demolition to proceed more slowly at this point while we carefully dismantle the remaining superstructure in a way that maintains the structural integrity of the remaining bridge sections,” officials said in a prepared statement. “This is not cause for concern. It did not damage the newly constructed portion of the bridge nor should it cause any delays. The contractor usually cuts the sections into smaller pieces. Structural safety engineers are currently assessing how the large section can be safely demolished."

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--Ari Bloomekatz

Carmageddon II: Demolition a labor of love for one bridge engineer

For Michael Francis, Carmageddon is a labor of love three years in the making.

The 49-year-old Caltrans senior bridge engineer has been on the Sepulveda Pass Widening Project since its inception in summer 2009. Francis describes his job as "making sure they've crossed all the Ts and dotted all the I's for the project."

From an overlook south of the construction site Saturday afternoon, Francis watched chunks of concrete fall from a section of the Mulholland Drive bridge that is being demolished. The northbound side of the bridge will be widened as part of the $1-billion freeway improvement project that will also add a new 405 carpool lane. 

FULL COVERAGE: Carmageddon II

"To finally see this milestone makes my hour-and-a-half drive every day seem worth it," said Francis, who commutes from Diamond Bar.

Even though he had staff at the construction site through the night and into the early morning, Francis stayed out himself past 1 a.m. Saturday and showed up again before 9 a.m.

He's invested years into this project and he doesn't want to miss a thing. The freeway, which is shut down between the 10 and 101 freeways this weekend, is scheduled to reopen Monday in time for morning rush hour.

PHOTOS: Carmageddon II

"Designers, they draw stuff on paper. To me it's more rewarding that I can point to something and say, 'Hey, I was a part of that,'" Francis said, as he pointed to the partially demolished bridge.

He gets attached to all his projects, but Carmageddon is different.

"When you say you widened a bridge on the 605 and put a sound wall on it, people say, 'Meh, so what?'" Francis said. "When I say what I'm working on now, people know it."

Carmageddon II: Good karma so far as motorists heed warnings

As of late Saturday afternoon, the region appeared to be averting a "carpocalyptic" meltdown as Angelenos boarded buses, mounted bicycles or otherwise steered clear of the 405 Freeway and key surface streets.

"Things are going extremely well just as they did last year,” said Bruce Gillman, a spokesman stationed at the project's media center south of downtown Los Angeles. “We want to thank the public for their cooperation, and we want to encourage people to shop locally and stay away from the construction site."

He added that transportation officials hoped things throughout the weekend would "continue going as well as they are going this morning."

FULL COVERAGE: Carmageddon II

In a replay of the first Carmageddon in July 2011, a 10-mile stretch of the 405 Freeway is shut down this weekend so that workers can demolish a portion of the Mulholland Drive bridge. The dismantling is part of a $1-billion project to add a new northbound carpool lane to the 405, a vital north-south route through the Westside. The 405 is expected to open in time for the Monday morning rush hour.

Throughout the region, restaurateurs, businesses and residents capitalized on the Carmageddon concept.

Outside Blue Dog Beer Tavern near the 405 in Sherman Oaks, a big, white banner touted the "Carmageddon Burger." Nearby, a Whole Foods Market was hosting a Carmageddon II pancake breakfast.

PHOTOS: Carmageddon II

And a block away, a bright orange sign lured locals to a garage sale. Jill Sanders, her husband, Scott, and son Matthew were doing a brisk business as the closure helped provide a somewhat captive clientele.

But authorities voiced concern Saturday that large commercial trucks could muck up the works. Lt. Andy Neiman of the Los Angeles Police Department said there were reports of large commercial trucks using Sepulveda Boulevard to bypass the freeway closure.

That could pose problems because of a tunnel along that stretch as well as restrictions for height and weight.

"We absolutely cannot have that," Neiman said.

By late afternoon, there were heavy streams of traffic on surface streets near the 10 and the 101 freeway junctions. Dozens of cars sat idling at each leg of a four-way intersection in Culver City.

Carmageddon II: Easy does it [Video discussion]

So far, Carmageddon II has gone off without a hitch.

No major traffic jams were reported, and officials said they are doing the bridge demolition work on schedule.

Get the latest information during a 4 p.m. live video discussion with Times staff writers Matt Stevens Samantha Schaefer.

FULL COVERAGE: Carmageddon II

Motorists can get the latest information via the Nixle notification service by texting the keyword "405FWY" to 888-777, or by registering at the Nixle website for email updates.

Let us know how you're spending the weekend by tweeting @LANow or submitting your photos here, and be sure to let us know where you are!

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Carmageddon II: LAX largely unaffected by freeway closure

The Los Angeles International Airport, which sits west of the 405 Freeway, remained mostly unaffected by the closure of a 10-mile section of the freeway.

Taxi and airport shuttle drivers insisted that they weren't experiencing significant delays in getting travelers to their destinations. Most said their companies had discussed alternate routes Friday prior to the freeway closure.

"It's no big deal," said Bhvad Vanghali, an airport taxi driver who shuttles travelers between LAX and the San Fernando Valley.

PHOTOS: Carmageddon II

Vanghali said Saturday is always a slow day for airport taxis -- with more people off work and able to pick up friends and family members -- so he had yet to experience any hassle because of the closure.

His plan is to use Sepulveda Drive to take passengers north. If that gets backed up, he said he'll head east to Beverly Glenn.

But as of noon, Vanghali's route to the Valley still came secondary to his need of customers to drive there. 

FULL COVERAGE: Carmageddon II

"Maybe later this afternoon it will pick up," he said as he sat smoking a cigarette on a metal bench next to his cab, which was last in a line of others eagerly awaiting passengers. "But who knows."

Carmageddon II: Bar mitzvah at Skirball will go on as scheduled

As overflow Carmageddon II traffic streamed onto Westside roads, local real estate agent Clifford Rowe said he was "conservatively optimistic" about the fate of his son's Saturday night bar mitzvah at the Skirball Cultural Center next to the 405 Freeway.

"We anticipate there will be some delays," Rowe said.

Rowe and his family have been planning the event for the last year and a half and guests were flying in from New York, New Jersey and Arizona. Things seemed to be going smoothly until last month, when they found out about the freeway closure.

PHOTOS: Carmageddon II

After several conversations with guests and family, Rowe said they decided to move ahead anyway. The center is located in the Sepulveda Pass, where a key section of the nation's busiest freeway has been shuttered for the weekend.

"We said, 'You know what? Life's tough, so let's just go for it,' " Rowe said.

Rowe called Caltrans personally to get assurances that Sepulveda Boulevard would be open, emailed maps of alternate directions to the 200-strong guest list and asked everyone to drive safe and be patient. For the most part, the bar mitzvah looked to be well attended.

FULL COVERAGE: Carmageddon II

"One person canceled," Rowe said. "But now four more people are coming because they canceled their plans to go out of town. Now we have to rearrange the tables."