Caltrans Tree Crews in Action

Caltrans maintenance crews are taking advantage of the I-405 closure to do a ton of maintenance work along the freeway … and by “a ton,” we mean seven weeks of work in just 48 hours. The short video below is one of our tree crews in action today on I-405.

Photos from the I-405 Demo

These photos were taken by Caltrans staff at the construction site …

Mulholland Bridge span falls on dirt bed. The dirt bed protects the roadbed beneath the bridge:

Demo begins on bridge column on southbound I-405:

A Caltrans maintenance crew refreshes the striping on northbound I-405 near the demo:

 And finally, here’s a short video (:24) of the scene taken at about 6:30 p.m. last night:

Last Night on I-405

Last night on I-405 (and early this morning), hundreds of people assembled to begin demolishing the north side of the Mulholland Bridge. Here's some of what happened while you were sleeping ...

Staging of demo equipment ...

Dirt is taken from a nearby embankment to create a dirt bed to protect the freeway below the bridge ...

Dirt is spread beneath the bridge ...

Crews break through the bridge deck ...

Maintenance Crews On the Job During I-405 Closure

I-405 is currently closed between US 101 and I-10 while the north side for Mulholland Bridge is demolished. The closure is a rare opportunity for crews to have full access to the freeway to do maintenance work without cars whizzing by. By the time I-405 reopens on Monday, we will have completed seven weeks of maintenance work in just 48 hours!

Work began last night as soon as the freeway closed. Here workers are preparing tar to seal pavement cracks …

And here they are sealing cracks …

Here’s the crew filling in a damaged portion of I-405 …

And cleaning the drum to get ready for the next operation.

Caltrans Spruces Up San Diego Freeway (I-405) During Weekend Closure

Today's Date:  September 28, 2012

District 7:           Los Angeles &   Ventura Counties      

Contact:          Patrick Chandler

Phone:            (213) 897-3630

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Caltrans Spruces Up San Diego Freeway (I-405) During Weekend Closure

Caltrans structural steel painters build a platform
to paint a bridge near I-5 above the LA River.

LOS ANGELES – The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will perform several maintenance activities inside of the 53-hour closure of the San Diego Freeway (I-405) for the demolition of the north side of the Mulholland Bridge as part of the I-405 Sepulveda Pass Improvements Project.  Maintenance crews will begin work at 11:59 p.m., Friday, September 28 to 12:01 a.m., Monday, October 1.  Crews will be on standby to assist the contractor crews Monday morning in re-opening the freeway.

“Some have called this closure Carmeggedon II. At Caltrans we call it an opportunity,” said District 7 Director Michael Miles.  “We are going to be able to complete almost seven weeks of maintenance work within 48 hours.”

Read more...

If You MUST Drive During Carmageddon, Use QuickMap!

By this point (four days 'til Carmageddon!), you’ve probably heard the “eat, shop and play locally” mantra countless times. And that’s good! We’d love for you to bike, walk or use transit this weekend instead of getting in your car and hitting the freeway. But we also recognize that some people will have to drive. Maybe you’ve got a wedding to go to, or you work weekends, or your contractions are two minutes apart. Sometimes, you really need the freeway.

If you absolutely MUST drive, we have just the thing for you! It’s called QuickMap, a new online service that provides real-time traffic and travel information, brought to you by Caltrans. You can check it before you leave to determine the best route. QuickMap will give you an overview of traffic and allow you to monitor congestion, incidents, lane closures, travel times and Amber Alerts.

Another great Carmageddon tool: 511, which also provides real-time traffic info. Again, call before you leave (or use a hands-free device while driving) or click over to go511.com.