Predicted ‘Carmageddon’ in LA not quite biblical

THE event that many feared would be the “Carmageddon” of epic traffic jams cruised calmly toward a finish last night, with bridge work on the Los Angeles roadway completed ahead of schedule and officials reopening a 16-kilometre stretch of one of the busiest US freeways.

Work had been expected to finish today.

Drivers honked their horns and waved from car windows as traffic started moving on Interstate 405 just after noon, for the first time since being shut down at midnight on Friday to allow for the partial demolition of a bridge. There were no major problems since the freeway was closed, despite warnings.

At a news conference yesterday, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced that workers were to start reopening the freeway within hours.

For weeks, authorities warned people that driving as usual this weekend could trigger what has been hyped as Carmageddon — an event that could back up vehicles from the I-405 to surface streets and other freeways, causing a domino effect that could paralyse much of Los Angeles.

But the fears of epic traffic jams dissipated with only light weekend traffic.

“It was just so nice. It took me actually less time to get to work than it would have on a normal weekend,” said Jenn Tanaguchi, a hairstylist who has to drive from downtown to her job at a salon in Brentwood.

“People were telling me that I would have to leave two hours early, that everything would be blocked out. But there were no problems. It was such a nice ride.”

The California Department of Transportation was reopening the freeway in phases. The off-ramps were to open first, then the freeway itself, followed by connectors from other freeways and the on-ramps, the mayor said.

Project contractor Kiewit Infrastructure West faced a $6,000 (€4,300) fine in each direction for every 10 minutes of delay in getting the freeway reopened, according to the city’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Another closure will be required in about 11 months to demolish the north side. Officials said they were hopeful that the future shutdown would run just as smoothly as this one.