Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Happy Trails, House on the 101 Freeway
If you picked "11 days" in your How Long Will that Crazy House on the 101 Freeway Stay There office pool, then you win. Hell we all win, cuz the home that was supposed to move from Santa Monica to Santa Clarita but got stuck in Hollywood thanks to taking the long way home, is now back on the road, and heading out of LA.
At 10:30 pm last night the now-tagged house was being towed north after nearly two weeks on the shoulder.
[Patrick] Richardson, 45, of Castaic, obtained a permit from Caltrans to transport the oversized load on the freeway. Instead of taking the shortest route -- up the 405 Freeway and over the Sepulveda Pass -- he took a longer, more level route through downtown Los Angeles and north on the 101 Freeway. By the time the 20-foot-wide structure reached downtown, the wheels reportedly were coming loose from the trailer. Richardson made emergency repairs and lumbered onward, only to come to a halt again in Hollywood.
That's where his house, built in 1950, struck the 14-foot, 10-inch Western Avenue bridge. The impact sheared off the top of the roof. A SigAlert was called when it took hours to free the house from the bridge. The house was eventually parked 3 1/2 miles up the road near Barham Boulevard, where the shoulder was wide enough for the structure to be out of traffic lanes. - LA Times