The Black Vault

Carmageddon Panic Hits Los Angeles

California can’t seem to stay out of the news today, can it?

First the whole “South California as the 51st state” brouhaha began grabbing headlines, and now Los Angeles residents are tweeting and Facebooking up a storm about the impending ‘Carmageddon,’ also known as the upcoming planned closure of the 405 Freeway. The largely automobile-dependent city is counting down to the travel disruption, scheduled to begin in four days.

While Los Angelenos are preparing for July 16th, 17th and 18th spate of carlessness (or what we in New York City call every freaking day), some are making hay. A fancy helicopter tour has been put together to view the desolate freeway during Carmageddon at a cost of just $400 a couple. Showbiz trade mag Variety reports that the entertainment industry has made provisions for Carmageddon as well, outlined on their site.

How Californians will deal with the three-day inconvenience known as Carmageddon remains to be seen, but signs along the 405 blaring “expect big delay!” probably aren’t doing much to soothe their tanned and tattered nerves.

Is Carmageddon going to affect your weekend plans? Jealous of New York’s hot, crowded, reeking-of-urine subway system yet?

So John Sr & Jr: Are you prepared for the worst ?



NEWS LINK

Its the most hyped and ridiculas news in a long time. They are closing it for a 2 day weekend, so just plan around it, its no big deal. The biggest catastrophe might be someone from the Valley who needs to get to LAX for a flight. I plan to just stay home and in the neighborhood for the weekend. The 405 is the main freeway out of the valley twards the LAX airport, Santa Monica or if you wanted to goto long beach or San Diego. There are other routes to there if you had to go. We got through several major earthquakes far worse in terms of collapsed freeways, this is an overblown bunch of boloney. 2 damn days, BFD!

suddenly Minneapolis is looking pretty good.

There's at least a dozen ways to get to LA and any other place you want. It'll take a bit more effort, but it's needed. The 405 is a piece of **** in its current condition and drastically needs a makeover.

People will survive for two or three days.

Wing-Zero wrote:People will survive for two or three days.

Carmageddon has come and gone
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/driving/carm ... Bthumb%3B4

Hey Wing, My Dad moved out here in 1960, the Ventura freeway was almost new but after you reached Calabasas, it turned into a country road, now its freeway all the way up the coast. But in those days the 405 didn;t go though Sepulveda Pass, for years Dad had to take Sepulveda Pass if working in Redondo Beach near LAX. Ventura Freeway was 4 lanes, and a heavy day back than looked like a Sunday morning does today. Freeways were designed for only needing that back in those days.
We just have too many people for the existing size of them , and interchanges can be a mess. I was always lucky, never worked too far from work, never had to do that kind of communting it over 40 years. Most of my co-workers communted as much as 3 hrs per day on the Palmdale or even further van pools.

So far its going very smooth, mainly becasue most people just said, stay at home this weekend. Traffic has been very light, and John passed by the 101 & 405 interchange about 1 hour before the final closing last night. All day has been very light traffic and they are way ahead of schedule so far. One big hunk of concrete may have damaged the road, and they will no know until the bed of dirt 4 feet thick is removed Sunday. Only one half of the bridge is being removed to leave 2 lanes for use over the next year. They will do this all again next summer to demolish the second half.

I'm so glad I don't live in a city.

Finished 16 hours ahead of schedule, and are opening up the 405 early.

One thing for sure, the people staying home really worked, and could be a good lesson on how we can relieve ourselves of depending on foriegn oil. Maybe we should declare a few furlough from driving weekends per year, imagine how much gas was not burned up this weekend. Multipy that times the entire country, and do it 4 times a year what we could save?

so cool that it all went well..I was feeling for ya'll