Skirball demo prompts freeway closures

The north side of the Skirball Bridge came down in 2010. Now it's time to demolish the south side.

Even before Carmageddon II comes to town, sections of the 405 Freeway will be shutting down overnight for the next two weeks so that the south side of the Skirball Bridge can be demolished.

The entire southbound 405 will be shut down on July 24, 25 and 30 from the 101 Freeway to Getty Center Drive. Ramp closures will begin as early as 7 p.m., with the full southbound freeway closing from midnight to 5 a.m.

The northbound 405 is set to close on July 26, 27 and 31, and on Aug. 1, 2 and 3, from Getty Center Drive to Ventura Boulevard. Those closures will follow the same pattern, with ramps shutting down around 7 p.m. and the entire northbound freeway closing from midnight to 5 a.m.

The Skirball Bridge over the freeway will itself be closed from 10 p.m. through 6 a.m. every night from July 30 to August 3.

The bridge is one of three overpasses that are being torn down and rebuilt during the multi-year project to create a 10-mile northbound carpool lane on the 405, along with other improvements.

Demolition of the Skirball and Sunset bridges has required a series of overnight closures of segments of the freeway. But taking down the Mulholland Bridge is a more complex job requiring the full, weekend-long closure of the entire stretch of the 405 between the 10 and the 101. The first Carmageddon, in which the south side of the bridge was torn down, came to a successful conclusion last summer when the work was finished earlier than expected and widespread predictions of traffic gridlock averted.

Carmageddon II is set to take place the last weekend in September. Officials are urging motorists to once again stay off the roads. And they warn that this time around, the work is likely to require a full 53 hours to complete.

Posted 7/24/12