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Carmageddon

So glad I won't be in la for this.  And I can't wait to see how it goes!

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upshot/roadmap-carmageddon-230924377.html

Roadmap to Carmageddon

It sounds like something out of a disaster movie, but Carmageddon is very real. For 53 painful hours, the busiest roadway in the country, the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles, will be closed. This shutdown will reroute the typical 500,000 cars on the freeway during the weekend, and worst-case scenario, cause a 64-mile traffic jam.

Related: Carmageddon just overblown drama?

Only in L.A. would the idea of -- gasp -- not driving for an entire two days strike fear in the hearts of so many residents -- and cause so many lookups on the Web. Concerns for the weekend have driven up searches on Yahoo! 2,000% in the past week.

Here, a primer on the apocalyptic weekend.

What is it?
For the upcoming weekend, a 10-mile stretch of the 405 Freeway will be under construction. The closure will begin at the Ventura 101 Freeway interchange and stretch to the Santa Monica 10 Freeway. The closure will allow for the planned tear-down of the Mulholland Bridge, add a carpool lane, and improve on-ramps. Great, but the lifeline to the Westside usually carries about 281,000 cars a day. Residents have dubbed the traffic nightmare "Carmageddon."

Already, locals have created posters and are even selling T-shirts ("I survived Carmageddon") for the impending two doomsdays. And businesses have offered deals, from JetBlue's $4 flights from Long Beach to Burbank (sold out) to discounted movie tickets.

When does it start?
Ramps will begin closing at 7 p.m. Friday, July 15. (Start that evening commute early.) Lanes will begin closing at 10 p.m. The entire freeway will be shut down at midnight Saturday. Officials hope to reopen the freeway by 5 a.m. Monday. Ramps and connectors are scheduled to be reopened at 6 a.m.

What are alternate routes?
On the website of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the message is simple: "Plan ahead, avoid the area or stay home July 16-17." If you plan to drive, there is a list of detours here.

This might be the weekend to check out public transit, especially because many of the subway and bus lines will be free. See a list here. Amtrak will also offer discounted trips from Union Station to the Burbank airport.

There are also mobile apps that can keep you moving: The Waze app has teamed up with the local ABC station, KABC-TV, to give drivers real-time traffic updates. AT&T will be texting customers within 25 miles of the 405 to warn cars away and encourage them to use its Navigator app.

If driving is unavoidable, one blogger offers tips such as allow for extra time, leave home with a full tank of gas, take a first-aid kit, and remember to bring plenty of water.

Related: 6 ways to outsmart the I-405 closure

Even Tom Hanks encouraged going local for the weekend. The star tweeted to fans, "This weekend, LA! Avoid Carmageddon, Gas-zilla, 405-enstein, Grid-lock-apalooza! STAY HOME. Eat & shop local!" Perhaps you'll see him, "Larry Crowne"-style, on a scooter.

 

Re: Carmageddon

  • They were talking about this on the news a few weeks ago. They basically were giving people plenty of warning to plan for a weekend at home.
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  • I saw this on the news the other day too. They said an airline was offering cheap flights across town and sold out almost immediately.
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  • imagejodippls:
    I saw this on the news the other day too. They said an airline was offering cheap flights across town and sold out almost immediately.


    Haha, awesome! That's some smart marketing!

     

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  • From the article: 

    Already, locals have created posters and are even selling T-shirts ("I survived Carmageddon") for the impending two doomsdays. And businesses have offered deals, from JetBlue's $4 flights from Long Beach to Burbank (sold out) to discounted movie tickets.

     

    Long Beach to Burbank is probably about 40 miles away.

  • This is ridiculous.

    FL needs to take some notes, I would much rather close major roads down for the weekend and get some shiit done than slowly work on them for ten freaking years.

  • I have a friend that was planning on driving from Huntington Beach to Santa Rosa this evening. Hopefully he saw this on their news and got on the road this morning.
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  • I don't think you could live on socal and not know about this weekend. 

    Britt, the 405's been having work done at night, graveyard shift, for years too.  This is just the final phase.

  • imageMadisen:

    I don't think you could live on socal and not know about this weekend. 

    Britt, the 405's been having work done at night, graveyard shift, for years too.  This is just the final phase.

    You would think, but I just talked to him Wednesday, on my birthday and he said he was heading up this evening after rush hour. lol Hopefully one of his more observant friends clued him in and he left earlier.

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  • He should be ok as long as he makes it through there by midnight, which he should be able to from HB.

    The question is when is he planning on going back. heh

  • imageMadisen:

    He should be ok as long as he makes it through there by midnight, which he should be able to from HB.

    The question is when is he planning on going back. heh

    Heh...Sunday. Fail.

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  • imageclseale13:
    imageMadisen:

    He should be ok as long as he makes it through there by midnight, which he should be able to from HB.

    The question is when is he planning on going back. heh

    Heh...Sunday. Fail.

    ROFL!

  • The gov't has done a great job letting people know, but really? Calm down people. You're going to survive!
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  • I'm actually really interested in finding out if the company doing the work finished on time or not.  They were going to be fined $60-70k or so per hour past 5am pacific time this morning which is when their deadline was.

    The problem is not just the freeway itself, it's the stretch of road that is being shut down.  If you've ever lived in or spent a lot of time in la you'll know that there are only a limited # of ways to get to la from the valley (which means having to cross a mountain range).  This stretch of road on the 405 is the most traveled of those options.  The other options tend to have more traffic and are less direct on even a normal day.  Those other options, as limited in number as they are, could add 30-50minutes of extra commute one-way depending on where you need to end up on a normal day.  Plus there are people that have legitimate reasons for having to get to la from the valley on Saturdays and Sundays too for work, traveling to the LAX or what have you.  I'm trying to think of a comparable freeway closure here but I just can't think of it...maybe closing important stretches of 9A, JTB and 95 at the same time.

  • DH and I were wondering about whether or not they actually re opened on time as well. It appears that most people listened to the warnings and stayed at home. My friend from HB made the trip up north and back without too much trouble and my friend who lives in the LA area posted a pic from a section of the 405 that she was on and it was almost completely empty.
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