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The 405 Freeway Project artwork
Beginning mid-May and lasting for about 20 long months, Metro will be demolishing and reconstructing the Sunset Boulevard bridge over the 405 freeway. This is part of the major northbound car pool lane project between the 10 and 101. As drastic as this sounds, the Sunset artery won't be totally screwed (as if it already isn't), but it will be a period of patience for many commuters.
Here's how it will work. "The demolition will be staged, allowing the southern end of the Sunset Bridge to be demolished during a nine-night period, followed by approximately 10 months of bridge reconstruction," according to a Metro FAQ sheet (.pdf). "Then, the northern end of the Sunset Bridge will be demolished and reconstructed" followed by another estimated 10-month period.
Crews will be working around the clock, seven days a week.
And yes, there will be many freeway and street closures. Full details and dates are still being finalized (we'll post detour info when we have it), but the FAQ sheet warns of various local impacts, on- and off-ramp closures and a massive shut down of the 405 freeway for four nights in a row.
During reconstruction, two lanes in each direction will be maintained. When all is said and done in 20 or so months, there will be "three lanes in the westbound direction, three lanes in the eastbound direction and two lanes devoted to eastbound Sunset Bl
on-ramp tra;c to northbound I-405." There will also be higher capacity on- and off-ramps, four-foot-wide road shoulders in each direction, five-foot-wide sidewalks in each direction and a thirteen-foot-wide center median.
