Project Update: I-5 Western Avenue Interchange Project

Good news for those of you who use the northbound I-5 Western Avenue ramps in Glendale — the interchange improvement project at this location is almost done! Quick recap: The project is reconfiguring the on- and off-ramps so that they’ll begin and end at a signalized intersection at Flower Street. Recently, we completed striping the off-ramp, which is now open, as you can see here: 

We’re still finishing up striping and joint-sealing the on-ramp, which will take another couple weeks. You can see both ramps here (closed on-ramp is to the right):

Note that the off-ramp is now four lanes where it terminates at Flower Street, which helps reduce congestion and improve traffic flow. We’re also working on the signage. Here’s the off-ramp sign awaiting installation:

Questions? Check out the I-5 website or give us a ring on the toll-free I-5 hotline at (855) 454-6335. 

Caltrans, City of Ventura, and Union Pacific Railroad To Clear Graffiti from Trestle above the Ventura Freeway (US 101)

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), the City of Ventura, and Union Pacific Railroad  have collaborated to create a long-term solution to improve the trestle above US 101 in downtown Ventura that includes clearing graffiti, installing surveillance cameras, new lighting and fencing, and other physical barriers to deter pedestrian trespassers.
 
Through a cost sharing effort, Union Pacific and the City of Ventura will fund the painting of the bridge; Caltrans will close US 101 during work hours, clear graffiti and repaint the bridge; traffic control measures will be in place to direct motorists to alternate routes.

Surveillance cameras installed to monitor the trestle will serve to capture vandals and trespassers.  The City's Graffiti ordinance provides for full cost recovery in addition to penalties of $1000 per occurrence, and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. To protect the improvements over the long term, the City of Ventura’s crews and volunteers will remove any new graffiti.
 
Nightly full freeway closures will be necessary.  Signed detours will be provided.

The southbound side has already been completed. 
 
Northbound US 101 will be closed between Seaward Avenue and South Oak Street during the following days and times:
 
Friday, June 8 to Saturday, June 9
11 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Saturday, June 9 to Sunday, June 10
11 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Sunday, June 10 to Monday, June 11
11 p.m. to 5 a.m.
 
Northbound US 101 detour:

Exit at Seaward Avenue
Turn right to access South Thompson Boulevard
Turn left on South Thompson Boulevard to South Oak Street
Then turning left to access northbound 101

Freeway Art History: Freeways Part of the Artistic Landscape

Ralph Hulett's painting of the Four Level Interchange in East LA

In the 1920s the artistic movement, California Regionalism, began to capture the everyday scenes of Southern California life, scenes that many citizens and artists in previous years considered routine or mundane.   Artist Ralph Hulett (1915-1974), through his skill with a paint brush documented the arrival of the freeway to the Los Angeles area.

“We’re in the midst of a violent revolution – the new replacing the old.  We miss our old friends but have to make new ones.  And the freeways will be among them,” said Hulett in an article, freeways on canvas, in the July to August 1966 issue of the California Highways and Public Works magazine.

Hulett’s paintings captured the change that Los Angeles and several other major metropolitan areas in the nation where experiencing as part of a federal effort to connect the nation via a vast network of freeways.  Hulett’s paintings captured one of District 7’s earliest freeway master pieces, the four level also known as the East Los Angeles Interchange, and US 101 (Hollywood Freeway). 

His paintings artfully display what some Angelenos considered as an attack on their way of lives and others viewed as move into the future.  From the 1940s and on, hundreds of miles of freeways cut through Los Angeles, forever changing the region.

During his time, Hulett studied at the Chouinard Art Institute (Los Angeles), worked as a color stylist with Walt Disney, and was a member of the American Watercolor Society, California Water Color Society, and Laguna Art Association.  He held one-man shows in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

FULL FREEWAY Closure: Northbound I-5 between Valley View and Carmenita

Caltrans will fully close northbound I-5 only between Valley View Avenue and Carmenita Road in La Mirada and Santa Fe Springs on Tuesday, May 29 beginning at 11:59 p.m. and continuing until 5 a.m. Wednesday.

The northbound I-5 on-ramps at Valley View Avenue and Alondra Boulevard will also be fully closed from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Motorists traveling northbound I-5 from Orange County will be detoured off the freeway at Valley View Ave. and onto Alondra Blvd.  Detour signs will be posted to re-enter northbound I-5 at the Carmenita Road on-ramp.  Southbound I-5 lanes and on-and off-ramps will be open.

The work involves re-striping lanes as part of the I-5 South Corridor Widening and HOV Projects to construct one carpool and one general purpose lane in each direction, realign and upgrade frontage roads, and reconstruct bridges from the Los Angeles/Orange County line to I-605.

I-5/HOV Improvements/SR-134 to Magnolia Boulevard

Caltrans is constructing a carpool lane on the Golden State Freeway (I-5) between the Ventura Freeway (SR-134) and Magnolia Boulevard in Burbank.
 
As part of the improvements, crews will be pile driving on Flower Street.  The piles will provide structural support necessary for the widening of the freeway.

This construction activity will require a partial closure of Flower Street.  At least one lane in each direction will be open at all times.

Flaggers will be on site to control the flow of traffic.   
You may hear construction noise and experience vibrations during this operation. Noise will not exceed levels allowed by state and federal regulations.

Where

Flower Street between Providencia Avenue and West Ash Avenue

When

May 21, 2012 through July 20, 2012

 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The construction schedule is subject to change.

Contact

Toll-Free Hotline

(855) 454-6335

Website

www.I-5info.com

Email

Go to the website above and click on ‘Contact’.

Traffic Advisory: I-5 Closures in South Kern County

If you travel I-5 in north Los Angeles County and up into Kern County, there are some closures in the area we’d like you to know about related to pavement work.

The southbound I-5 off-ramp to Frazier Mountain Park Road will be closed Monday through Friday, from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m., through mid-July, 2012. So, if you’re headed southbound, use the Lebec Road off-ramp to access Frazier Mountain Park Road during closures. If you’re headed northbound, no worries. The northbound I-5 off-ramp to Frazier Mountain Park Road will remain open during this phase of construction.

There will also be lane closures on I-5 in the area. The #3 lane (count left to right) on southbound I-5 is closed from the Lebec Service Road overcrossing to the Frazier Mountain Park Road overcrossing — temporary concrete barriers are in place on both sides of the lane, so be prepared to go around. Additional closures of lane #4 will occur Monday through Friday, from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m., along this section of freeway.

The closures are part of a project that's upgrading pavement on southbound I-5 in Kern County from the Kern/Los Angeles County line to 0.1 mile north of the Grapevine Creek Bridge near Lebec. For more information about the project, visit the Caltrans District 6 website or give them a ring at (559) 445-6259.

Expect long-term lane closures 24/7 during this phase of construction, which is scheduled to wrap up by mid-July. Yes, there will be delays. Use alternate routes when you can, and check traffic before you leave. Speaking of which, Caltrans QuickMap is a great resource for real-time traffic info.

U.S. 101 HOV LANE CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE

Crews are continuing to work in the median between northbound and southbound U.S. 101 and the La Conchita Pedestrian Overcrossing in Ventura overnight from Monday, May 21 through Thursday, May 24. Closure hours are 8 p.m. to 9 a.m. southbound and 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. northbound. One lane will remain open throughout the closures. Pedestrian access at La Conchita will be closed.


Work will also be taking place on the La Conchita and Bates Road Overcrossings from Monday, May 21 to Friday, May 25 during the day during the hours of 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.. Bates Road work involves pile driving to provide structural support for the bridge widening.


The project involves constructing a six-mile carpool lane in each direction along U.S. 101 from Mobil Pier Road in Ventura County to Casitas Pass Road in Santa Barbara County, including a pedestrian undercrossing, concrete barriers, a southbound bike lane, median landscaping, drainage reconstruction, closing existing median openings and installing Intelligent Transportation Systems.