Northbound 405 Freeway lanes could be reopened ahead of schedule

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Construction work that has caused lane closures on the northbound 405 Freeway in the Sepulveda Pass is proceeding ahead of schedule, and the entire freeway could be reopened earlier than planned, said Dave Sotero, a Metro spokesman.

Construction work on a 2.4-mile stretch of the freeway caused shutdowns of some or all northbound lanes at different times. The lane closures began Friday night.

The freeway was reduced Saturday afternoon from five to two lanes between the Montana Avenue offramp and the Getty Center Drive offramps in West Los Angeles, Metro officials said. The closures were planned to last until early Monday.

Officials planned an early opening of one lane Saturday night, which should “help ease traffic congestion in the area,” Sotero said.

The 405 northbound lanes were expected to be closed entirely for five-hour periods early Sunday and early Monday. The full freeway closure will no longer be required, Sotero said.

The freeway could be opened entirely by early Sunday, barring any equipment problems or other issues, he said.

The construction work is part of the 405 Freeway Sepulveda Pass Improvement Project in which a carpool lane will be created and the freeway will be realigned. Construction crews had finished grinding pavement and had begun placing new pavement by Saturday morning, Sotero said.

Traffic was gridlocked in parts of Westwood and on L.A.’s Westside on Saturday, and traffic was backed up for miles. Several surface streets around the freeway were also jammed.

Motorists should expect delays throughout the weekend and have been advised to take Sepulveda Boulevard or to find alternate routes, said Marc Littman, a Metro spokesman.

The construction could cause SigAlert conditions, Littman said.

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-- Hailey Branson-Potts

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