Drivers across the Los Angeles area should brace for a week of overnight lane reductions, ramp closures and parking restrictions on three major routes as Caltrans presses ahead with roadwork in the days leading up to the Labor Day holiday weekend.
The agency announced construction beginning the week of Aug. 31 on Interstate 405 through the Sepulveda Pass, on State Route 2 in West Los Angeles, Hollywood and Echo Park, and along Pacific Coast Highway and Topanga Canyon Boulevard in areas recovering from the Palisades Fire. Most of the work is scheduled for overnight hours, though the timing and scope could shift because of weather or operational needs.
On I-405, crews will install K-rail barriers and perform paving work nightly from Monday, Aug. 31, through Friday, Sept. 4. Work will begin after 9 p.m. and wrap up by 6 a.m. During those hours, up to three lanes of northbound I-405 will be closed between Sepulveda Boulevard and Victory Boulevard, and up to four lanes of southbound I-405 will be closed between U.S. 101 and Skirball Center Drive/Mulholland Drive.
Several ramps and connectors will also shut down overnight, including the northbound off-ramp to Getty Center Drive, the Sepulveda Boulevard on-ramp to southbound I-405, and the northbound I-405 connector to northbound and southbound U.S. 101. The speed limit will be reduced to 55 mph in certain sections of both directions because of the paving work.
The closures are part of the I-405 Pavement Rehabilitation Project, a $143.7 million effort to improve safety and mobility and extend the pavement's life along the Sepulveda Pass between the communities of Van Nuys and Westwood.
Farther south and east, Caltrans is carrying out a separate $70.2 million multimodal pavement project on State Route 2, which involves curb, gutter and sidewalk work. Construction will run overnight from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., Sunday through Friday, unless otherwise noted, from Sunday, Aug. 30, through Friday, Sept. 4. Parking restrictions along the affected stretches will be in place around the clock.
The SR-2 work is divided into three segments. In West Los Angeles, up to two lanes in each direction of Santa Monica Boulevard will close between Federal and Cotner avenues, with parking prohibited on both sides. In Hollywood, up to one eastbound lane and two westbound lanes of Santa Monica Boulevard will close between Wilcox and North El Centro avenues. In Echo Park, up to one northbound lane and two southbound lanes of Glendale Boulevard will close between Branden and Allesandro streets.
A bus pad replacement in Echo Park originally set for Aug. 29 has been rescheduled. That work will now take place from 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, to 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 13, reducing northbound Glendale Boulevard near Berkeley Avenue to one lane, with no parking nearby in either direction. Caltrans said business driveways will remain accessible during lane closures, and signs will be posted in advance of parking restrictions.
The third set of closures involves recovery work in the Palisades Fire burn area. From Aug. 31 through Sept. 6, crews on Pacific Coast Highway may set up single-lane closures anytime between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays as they clean up Las Flores Creek and repair roadways, drainage and slopes between just north of Las Flores Canyon Road and Sunset Boulevard. Between Pena Road and Tuna Canyon Road, southbound PCH may be reduced to one lane as needed while a retaining wall is rebuilt.
On Topanga Canyon Boulevard, or State Route 27, a Caltrans work zone between postmiles 2.5 and 2.8 carries a 15 mph speed limit. Additional overnight lane control is planned from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Thursday nights between Entrado and PCH for guardrail and shoulder work. Officials urged motorists to stay alert on the winding route, particularly around blind curves.
Because of the Labor Day holiday, Caltrans said there will be no lane closures on Pacific Coast Highway or Topanga Canyon Boulevard from 6 a.m. Friday, Sept. 4, through 11:59 p.m. Monday, Sept. 7.
Caltrans cautioned that residents and businesses near the construction may experience noise, vibrations and dust, and that fines can be doubled in work zones. The agency reminded drivers to "Be Work Zone Alert" and to "Slow for the Cone Zone."
Motorists can check current road conditions on the Caltrans QuickMap website before traveling.