‘Carmageddon II’ declared a success by mayor of L.A.
LOS ANGELES - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Sunday called "Carmageddon II," the sequel to last year's shutdown of one of the nation's busiest freeways, a success and thanked drivers for staying off the road and keeping the weekend traffic unusually light.
Bridgework that forced the closure of Interstate 405 was completed and lanes of the freeway through the Sepulveda Pass will reopen as planned for this morning's commute, Villaraigosa told a news conference.
"We are on track," he said.
A similar closure occurred last year to demolish portions of the Mulholland Drive bridge to allow construction of an additional freeway lane.
Like last year, city residents heeded months of warnings to stay off the road and the fear of an epic traffic jam never materialized.
Villaraigosa said his hope for a "Carmaheaven" came true and thanked drivers for their cooperation.
"The real stars of this sequel were the motorists who took advantage of a car-free weekend and stayed off the road," he said.
The closed, 10-mile section of the 405 carries about 500,000 motorists each day on a typical weekend, according to the Los Angeles Times.
