Work to replace the Sunset Boulevard bridge over the 405 Freeway has been going on for a few months now, but tonight marks the beginning of a second bridge's replacement, and it once again brings some traffic headaches. For five night this week, crews will demolish half of the Skirball Center Drive bridge in the Sepulveda Pass. That means full nighttime southbound freeway closures Tuesday and Wednesday and northbound closures on Thursday and Friday. "Work is anticipated to take place between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. over the five-night period," explained The Source, Metro's in-house blog. "Actual bridge demolition is planned between 12 a.m. and 5 a.m."
Alternate routes include Sepulveda Boulevard and Beverly Glen. The bridge itself will be closed during demolition, but will be open to traffic by 6 a.m. each day.
Reconstruction will take about seven months, followed by demolition and reconstruction of the other half of the bridge, which is another seven-month process. The Mulholland Bridge will be the third and final such project. When all is said and done with the three new and seismically enhanced bridges, there will be enough room for a northbound carpool freeway lane, which is one of the main goals of the Sepulveda Pass Improvements Project.
