Carmageddon 2 4057/13/2023 Much of the section of freeway that is being shut down winds through a hillside pass near Beverly Hills and other communities that are susceptible to brushfires. The city fire department put two dozen additional engines, fire companies and ambulances into service, placing them in neighborhoods that firefighters might have a hard time getting to from jammed roadways. Or, if it doesn't, to ensure they are prepared to handle any emergency. Meanwhile, construction crews were working feverishly to take down a section of the 50-year-old Mulholland Bridge as part of a $1 billion freeway-widening project.Įxtra police, fire and medical personnel were on hand to ensure that everything goes smoothly. ![]() "Everyone's freaking out about car traffic around the 405, bicycling represents a very viable alternative," cyclist Gary Kavanagh said. Members of the Wolfpack Hustle planned to peddle on a roughly 40-mile route starting near the Burbank airport to see whether they or a JetBlue passenger will reach Long Beach first.Ĭycling advocates said they hope to show that gridlock can be avoided without using a car or plane. The flights inspired a group of cyclists to challenge JetBlue to a race. The airline, seizing on the national buzz about Carmageddon, offered the deal this week by calling the short, 20- to 30-minute flights a "planepool" between the San Fernando Valley and the coastal city. "If you come on in and mention you're in town because you're stuck from Carmageddon, you can get 15 percent off tattoos and piercings," proprietor Howard Teman said.Ī few planned to take discounted helicopter rides over the empty stretch of the 405, several dozen others have $4 to $5 tickets to board special JetBlue flights between Long Beach Airport and Bob Hope Airport in Burbank. Those who do want that real road warrior look might consider swinging by T-Man's Tattoos (located just off the 405) in the San Fernando Valley. They can snag free cotton candy at the Santa Monica Pier or drop in on Michael Jackson's dermatologist for 25-percent-off Botox injections so that frazzled commuters won't look quite so frazzled. If people listen, there will be no shortage of staycation activities or adventures awaiting them. "We can either say we survived Carmageddon or we survived the Carmageddon hype," he said. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said he thinks traffic will move smoothly if motorists take advice and stay close to home throughout the weekend. "When I left work, it was like a no man's land," Dorsh later told The Associated Press. No traffic in L.A.," tweeted Chip Dorsh, who said he breezed through a canyon road to get from his job in Culver City to the San Fernando Valley. Motorists took to Twitter to marvel at the rare sight of traffic maps showing a sea of green, indicating that traffic was flowing. Friday then began lane closures at 10 p.m., before the entire 10-mile section that runs through the Sepulveda Pass was closed at midnight.Įvening rush-hour traffic was light in the hours before the shutdown. ![]() 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 appear ready to stay off the roads.Ĭrews systematically began closing on- and off-ramps beginning at 7 p.m. 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. Ramps to the normally clogged Interstate 405 began shutting down 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 can change its driving habits for a weekend.įor weeks, authorities have urged residents to avoid getting in their car, lest they trigger what's been hyped as "Carmageddon." (AP)Ī 10-mile stretch of one of the nation's busiest freeways has turned into a virtual ghost road. Interstate 405 is completely free of traffic, seen looking southbound from the Skirball Drive bridge, in preparation for the demolition of the Mulholland Drive bridge, just after midnight early Saturday morning. ![]() Facebook Email This article is more than 11 years old.
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