Community Corner

'Jamzilla' Ends, Did You Survive Construction on 405?

Northbound 405 was reopened this morning.

The northbound lanes of the San Diego (405) Freeway reopened today following a weekend closure dubbed "Jamzilla.

Caltrans crews spent the time from midnight to 5 a.m. moving K-Rail and striping and re-striping newly paved realigned portions of the freeway in the Sepulveda Pass between West Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley, said Metro spokesman Dave Sotero.

The freeway really couldn't be opened any earlier, Sotero said, because a lot of new pavement was set down along the way.

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"It takes a few hours to 12 hours to cure each layer and there were multi-layers of pavement," he said.

The project included digging up the center median near Ventura Boulevard and shifting it 20 feet west, then digging and replacing the entire northbound pavement.

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The plan had been to shut down the northbound San Diego Freeway lanes at midnight and reopen two lanes by 6 a.m. every morning over the long holiday weekend. On Sunday, construction plans changed mid-afternoon. Ramps at Santa Monica and Wilshire boulevards were reopened and remained open all night, even during the midnight to 4:30 a.m. road closures.

Jamzilla may have been a pain for some motorists, but it will save a lot of discomfort in the long-run, Sotero said.

"It saves four more 55-hour closures and will help us meet our goal of opening the remaining HOV lane by summer," he said.

—City News Service


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