Officials Making Tweaks so You All Can Survive 'Jamzilla'

Los Angeles transportation officials will deploy dozens of traffic officers and engineers to help ease congestion caused by all or part of the northbound San Diego (405) Freeway being closed through the Sepulveda Pass this weekend.

Jamzilla, the moniker of the latest traffic monster unleashed on Angelenos, will have all northbound lanes closed overnight Feb. 14-18 between Getty Center Drive and Ventura Boulevard. Freeway crews will be working to complete a $1 billion-plus carpool lane that will north run from the Orange County line.

In addition about 30 extra traffic officers deployed along the closed section of freeway, traffic engineers will also be monitoring  conditions from their lair under City Hall East, “adjusting signal timing, doing whatever we can do to alleviate” congestion over the President's Day weekend, said Jonathan Hui, spokesman for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.

The closures start about 7 p.m. Friday and will continue until about 6 a.m. Tuesday. Three northbound lanes will be closed during the day, leaving two lanes open travel. But all five northbound lanes will close overnight.

During earlier freeway closings dubbed Carmageddon and Carmageddon II, the agencies involved did a good job of publicizing closings and work schedules, and motorists largely avoided the typically busy stretch of freeway.

“We're hoping the same thing will happen” this weekend, Hui said.

Motorists who need to get to spots along the closed section were urged to use other north-south routes, the 101 or I-5 freeways.

Sepulveda Boulevard, the go-to north-south alternative surface street, will be open, but it is expected to be slow.

Los Angeles airport officials are also warning travelers and others driving out of Los Angeles International Airport to plan ahead for Jamzilla.

The closings could slow northbound traffic leaving LAX, although the main routes to the airport should be unaffected.

Advice, updates and details on the freeway closure are available at http://www.lawa.org/405 and http://www.Twitter.com/I_405.

Motorists can also access a Jamzilla hotline during Presidents Day weekend by calling 5-1-1 and saying “Jamzilla” or by visiting http://www.go511.com.