Locals stay off cars as LA freeway work starts
Source: Agencies |
July 17, 2011, Sunday
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Print Edition
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A 16-KILOMETER stretch of one of the United States' busiest freeways has turned into a virtual ghost road.
Ramps to the normally clogged Interstate 405 in Los Angeles began shutting down on Friday evening before the entire roadway was closed at midnight, setting the stage for a 53-hour construction project that will test whether this car-dependent city in California can change its driving habits for a weekend.
For weeks, authorities have urged residents to avoid getting in their car, lest they trigger what's been hyped as "Carmageddon."
Such an event could back up vehicles from the 405 - locals like to joke that its name is shorthand for "traffic that moves no faster than 4 or 5 miles an hour" - to surface streets and other freeways, causing a domino effect that could paralyze much of Los Angeles.
With warnings having been broadcast through television, radio, social media and flashing freeway signs as far away as San Francisco, much of the city's nearly 4 million residents appeared ready to stay off the roads.
Crews systematically began closing on- and off-ramps beginning on Friday evening before the entire 10-mile section was shuttered at midnight.
Evening rush-hour traffic was light in the hours before the shutdown. Motorists took to Twitter to marvel at the rare sight of traffic maps showing a sea of green, indicating that traffic was flowing.
"Carmaggedon? More like carmaheaven. No traffic in L.A.," tweeted Chip Dorsh, who said he breezed through a canyon road.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said he thinks traffic will move smoothly if motorists take advice and stay close to home throughout the weekend.
"We can either say we survived Carmageddon or we survived the Carmageddon hype," he said.
Cycling advocates said they hope to show that gridlock can be avoided without using a car or plane.
"Everyone's freaking out about car traffic around the 405, bicycling represents a very viable alternative," cyclist Gary Kavanagh said.
Meanwhile, construction crews were working feverishly to take down a section of the 50-year-old Mulholland Bridge as part of a US$1 billion freeway-widening project.
Ramps to the normally clogged Interstate 405 in Los Angeles began shutting down on Friday evening before the entire roadway was closed at midnight, setting the stage for a 53-hour construction project that will test whether this car-dependent city in California can change its driving habits for a weekend.
For weeks, authorities have urged residents to avoid getting in their car, lest they trigger what's been hyped as "Carmageddon."
Such an event could back up vehicles from the 405 - locals like to joke that its name is shorthand for "traffic that moves no faster than 4 or 5 miles an hour" - to surface streets and other freeways, causing a domino effect that could paralyze much of Los Angeles.
With warnings having been broadcast through television, radio, social media and flashing freeway signs as far away as San Francisco, much of the city's nearly 4 million residents appeared ready to stay off the roads.
Crews systematically began closing on- and off-ramps beginning on Friday evening before the entire 10-mile section was shuttered at midnight.
Evening rush-hour traffic was light in the hours before the shutdown. Motorists took to Twitter to marvel at the rare sight of traffic maps showing a sea of green, indicating that traffic was flowing.
"Carmaggedon? More like carmaheaven. No traffic in L.A.," tweeted Chip Dorsh, who said he breezed through a canyon road.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said he thinks traffic will move smoothly if motorists take advice and stay close to home throughout the weekend.
"We can either say we survived Carmageddon or we survived the Carmageddon hype," he said.
Cycling advocates said they hope to show that gridlock can be avoided without using a car or plane.
"Everyone's freaking out about car traffic around the 405, bicycling represents a very viable alternative," cyclist Gary Kavanagh said.
Meanwhile, construction crews were working feverishly to take down a section of the 50-year-old Mulholland Bridge as part of a US$1 billion freeway-widening project.
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