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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| 'Carmageddon': LA braces for traffic gridlock | 'Carmageddon': LA braces for traffic gridlock |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| Los Angeles residents are bracing for "carmageddon", the severe traffic jams that could result from the closure of a key stretch of highway during one of the city's busiest weekends. | Los Angeles residents are bracing for "carmageddon", the severe traffic jams that could result from the closure of a key stretch of highway during one of the city's busiest weekends. |
| Interstate 405, the main artery through the city, closed at midnight on Friday, for work expected to take 53 hours. | |
| Workers plan to add more lanes to a 10-mile (16km) section of the freeway. | Workers plan to add more lanes to a 10-mile (16km) section of the freeway. |
| Los Angeles has recruited celebrities with large Twitter followings to warn residents of the closure. | Los Angeles has recruited celebrities with large Twitter followings to warn residents of the closure. |
| Transport officials say the highway is being closed to replace the 50-year-old Mulholland Bridge, as part of a $1bn (£600m) project to add additional lanes to a bottlenecked segment of the highway. | Transport officials say the highway is being closed to replace the 50-year-old Mulholland Bridge, as part of a $1bn (£600m) project to add additional lanes to a bottlenecked segment of the highway. |
| Gridlock expected | Gridlock expected |
| With the impending chaos from the closure - which has been dubbed "carmageddon" - expected to grind traffic to a halt on side streets and freeways, some have pledged to walk and others say they will take to the skies. | With the impending chaos from the closure - which has been dubbed "carmageddon" - expected to grind traffic to a halt on side streets and freeways, some have pledged to walk and others say they will take to the skies. |
| During the days leading up to the closure, helicopter taxi rides were being sold for $150 (£93) to passengers hoping to get to Los Angeles International Airport during the weekend, and 10-minute flights between Burbank and Los Angeles were being offered by JetBlue for $4 per ticket. | During the days leading up to the closure, helicopter taxi rides were being sold for $150 (£93) to passengers hoping to get to Los Angeles International Airport during the weekend, and 10-minute flights between Burbank and Los Angeles were being offered by JetBlue for $4 per ticket. |
| City officials have been issuing bleak traffic warnings to Southern California residents for weeks, reminiscent of flood and wildfire warnings. | City officials have been issuing bleak traffic warnings to Southern California residents for weeks, reminiscent of flood and wildfire warnings. |
| Mike Miles of the California Department of Transportation said traffic could be backed up for more than 100km. | Mike Miles of the California Department of Transportation said traffic could be backed up for more than 100km. |
| "You cannot close a road that carries close to 500,000 people a day on it and not expect problems," he said. | "You cannot close a road that carries close to 500,000 people a day on it and not expect problems," he said. |
| Mr Miles warned that roads could become dangerous if drivers tempted fate and battled their way through the jams. | Mr Miles warned that roads could become dangerous if drivers tempted fate and battled their way through the jams. |
| But some California residents are sceptical about the city's warnings. | But some California residents are sceptical about the city's warnings. |
| "It's possible that they are trying to scare everyone [into] staying off the roads so gridlock won't happen," said Los Angeles resident Lorelei Laird. | "It's possible that they are trying to scare everyone [into] staying off the roads so gridlock won't happen," said Los Angeles resident Lorelei Laird. |
| "I don't expect it to be the bumper-to-bumper nightmare that people are expecting," she added. | "I don't expect it to be the bumper-to-bumper nightmare that people are expecting," she added. |
| Some transport experts have compared the shutdown to other large planned events in the region, like the 1984 summer Olympics, Los Angeles Lakers championship parades and Michael Jackson's memorial service - events when Los Angeles residents stayed off the roads. | Some transport experts have compared the shutdown to other large planned events in the region, like the 1984 summer Olympics, Los Angeles Lakers championship parades and Michael Jackson's memorial service - events when Los Angeles residents stayed off the roads. |
| Just like now, "people had advanced notice to get off the roads during the Olympics", said Genevieve Giuliano, a professor of urban planning and policy at University of Southern California. | Just like now, "people had advanced notice to get off the roads during the Olympics", said Genevieve Giuliano, a professor of urban planning and policy at University of Southern California. |
| "The wildcard is that if the engineers don't manage to open up the freeway back up after two days," she added. | "The wildcard is that if the engineers don't manage to open up the freeway back up after two days," she added. |
| The city of Los Angeles asked several celebrities, like Tom Hanks and Ashton Kutcher, to warn Los Angeles residents about carmageddon through the micro-blogging website Twitter. | The city of Los Angeles asked several celebrities, like Tom Hanks and Ashton Kutcher, to warn Los Angeles residents about carmageddon through the micro-blogging website Twitter. |
| "This weekend, LA! Avoid Carmageddon, Gas-zilla, 405-enstein, Grid-lock-apalooza! STAY HOME. Eat & shop local," Hanks wrote. | "This weekend, LA! Avoid Carmageddon, Gas-zilla, 405-enstein, Grid-lock-apalooza! STAY HOME. Eat & shop local," Hanks wrote. |
| Facebook also agreed to direct some 6.6 million Los Angeles area residents to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Facebook page for information on avoiding the traffic. | Facebook also agreed to direct some 6.6 million Los Angeles area residents to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Facebook page for information on avoiding the traffic. |
| Are you in LA? How will the closure of Interstate 405 affect you? Send us your comments using the form below. | Are you in LA? How will the closure of Interstate 405 affect you? Send us your comments using the form below. |