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LA's Carmageddon: Will 405 shutdown be bad for business?
I-405 in typical traffic. Now imagine this volume of traffic spilling onto surface streets.
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Atwater Village Newbie/Flickr (cc by-nc-sa)
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LA's Carmageddon: Will 405 shutdown be bad for business?
LA's Carmageddon: Will 405 shutdown be bad for business?
Many people vow not to get anywhere near the 405 Freeway between the 101 and the 10 during next week’s shutdown. But what about people who live and own businesses in the eye of that construction hurricane?
The halfway point of the shutdown stretch is Sepulveda Boulevard and Moraga Drive, across the freeway from the Getty Center. Randy Snyder and his wife, Joan, share an apartment here.
"We’ve already taken precautions, Joan’s taken the weekend off. I’m not currently working so it’s not going to be an issue. We’ll run our errands on Friday and then sit outside and laugh at the traffic jams the rest of the weekend.
A few weeks ago, Marcel Naim opened her flower shop about a block away from the Snyders’ apartment. If you wanna see Carmageddon, she invites you to stop by any Monday through Friday during business hours.
"You know, we’re used to traffic, it’s going to be a little bit worse. But it’s not a disaster for me," she said.
She’ll thumb her nose at the freeway closing by opening Saturday and Sunday, and offering delivery. Top Town Nails, a few doors down, is shutting down for the weekend. Douglas Oswell, who got a pedicure there well before the dreaded event, says his neighbors up the street are already chilling the brewskis.
"A lot are going to take the weekend off and leave the area, and some of us will stay and have a block party." he said.
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Oswell’s pedicurist says she’s glad the shop is closing. She lives clear across town in El Monte and doesn’t want to brave the additional traffic.
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