Oddly enough, most of the unease seems driven by local officials' attempts to publicize the road closure.įor example, at a recent press conference, LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told the assembled crowd, 'There's gridlock on the 405 virtually any time of the day, but particularly during the rush hour, and if you think it's bad now, let me just make something absolutely clear: On July 16 and 17, it will be an absolute nightmare.' A quick search for #carmageddon and comments like 'God help us all' and '3 days of hell' pop up.

One local radio personality coined the term 'Carmageddon.' Then a city politician referred to the project as the 'Nightmare on the 405' and now, hundreds of commuters have taken to Twitter express their apprehension. So the prospect of shutting down 10 miles of the major freeway running from Los Angeles International Airport to the San Fernando Valley is causing more than a little angst in the City of Angels. In Dallas, try getting around town without US-75 for a weekend.Īngelenos love to drive and 500,000 of them use the heavily congested 405 on any given weekend. Or if you live in New York City, imagine trying to get to work without the BQE. What was CA 7 between West Los Angeles and Torrence on Centinela Avenue/La Brea Avenue/Hawthorne Avenue became CA 107 which is first seen on the 1938 State Highway City Insert.June 15, 2011— - 'You can't get there from here' will take on a whole new meaning in Los Angeles in a few weeks when a 10-mile stretch of one of the city's major freeways, the 405, will close in both directions for 53 hours starting July 15.īy way of comparison, if you're from Boston, imagine I-93 closing down. Likely in 1938 CA 7 was truncated to West Los Angeles to US 101A via the remainder of LRN 158 on Sepulveda Boulevard. CA 7 was subsequently truncated to US 99 in San Fernando. US 6 absorbed the route of CA 7 from San Fernando north to US 395 near Inyokern. In 1937 US 6 was extended into California. CA 7 was subsequently truncated to US 395 near Inyokern. US 395 was routed along what was CA 7 from near Inyokern north to the Oregon State Line. Either in 1934 or 1935 US 395 was extended into California. CA 3 was reassigned as US 101A in 1934. The following changes occurred regarding the first CA 7 from 1934 to 1938: Numerous changes occurred to the State Highway system following the creation of the Signed State Routes of the course of the remainder of the 1930s. More detail on the legislative detail of the LRNs that comprised the original CA 7 can be found on.

The 1934 Department of Public Works guide cited above can be read online below.ġ934 California Highway and Public Works Guide Construction of Sepulveda Boulevard through Sepulveda Pass began in 1929 and by the following year the Sepulveda Boulevard Tunnel opened to traffic.įor reference the Sepulveda Boulevard Tunnel is pictured below facing northbound. The route of Sepulveda Boulevard was aligned through Sepulveda Canyon/Pass of the Santa Monica Moountains. Construction of Sepulveda Boulevard by Los Angeles County began in the late 1920s. LRN 158 in it's original configuration was routed entirely on Sepulveda Boulevard between San Fernando southward to west Los Angeles. The direct predecessor route to I-405 is the first CA 7 and Legislative Route Number 158. I-405 is typically referred to as 'the Four-oh-Five' and has inspired terminology such 'Carmageddon' or 'Carpocalypse.' I-405 has surprisingly humble roots as part of Sepulveda Boulevard and the original California State Route 7. I-405 has a reputation for being a commuting nightmare and probably is responsible for much of the urban sprawl of west of downtown Los Angeles. The segment of I-405 between Exit 21 and Exit 22 in Seal Beach is the busiest stretch of freeway in the United States with an annual average daily traffic count of almost 400,000 vehicles. I-405 is one of the more infamous freeways in California due to it carrying some of the busiest freeway segments in the entirety of the United States. I-405 is a north/south freeway which begins at I-5 near San Fernando in Los Angeles County and ends at I-5 in Irvine of Orange County. Interstate 405 is a 72 mile auxiliary spur of Interstate 5.

Carmageddon 2 405