The Road Not Taken

In order to build a new high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane, it was necessary for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) to demolish Mulholland Bridge in 2011. The demolition required the closing of a section of the I-405, a very busy freeway that is the only one to directly connect Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. The design of the Mulholland Bridge necessitated a difficult demolition, and the decision was made to do it in a single 53-hour closure. There was extensive outreach in advance to publicize the dates of closure to motorists. Despite being called “Carmageddon” by the media, the closure went very smoothly. Traffic delays dropped from the previous weekend, and there were fewer motorists on the road. The work was completed ahead of schedule, and the freeway reopened seventeen hours early. A second closure was scheduled the following year. The coverage after the first closure was positive, and despite being called “Carmageddon II,” the closure went just as smoothly, reopening seven hours early. Both closures showcase Los Angeles' ability to cooperate successfully.

• Record URL:
  http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/13mayjun/02.cfm
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/1586080
• Authors:
  • Gish, Judy
• Publication Date: 2013-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Maps; Photos;
• Serial:
  • Public Roads
  • Volume: 76
  • Issue Number: 6
  • Publisher: Federal Highway Administration
  • ISSN: 0033-3735
  • Serial URL: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/
• Publication flags:

  Open Access (libre)

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge construction; Freeways; High occupancy vehicle lanes; Highway bridges; Public relations; Street closure
• Identifier Terms: California Department of Transportation; Interstate 405
• Geographic Terms: Los Angeles County (California)
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Construction; Highways; I50: Construction and Supervision of Construction;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01488541
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Jul 25 2013 2:47PM