Call me an optimist, but I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how few extra delays will be caused by the closure of a Los Angeles freeway this weekend.
If you don’t know yet, the demolition of an overpass is set to close a 10 mile section of Interstate 405 in Los Angeles starting late Friday night and lasting all weekend long. People are referring to the expected traffic chaos as “Carmageddon” and news reports are using words like “epic” and “biblical.”
But any driver who isn’t aware of the shutdown is simply not paying attention.
Transportation agencies have provided alternate routes. Businesses have offered alternate means of travel. Celebrities have even been recruited to help spread the word. The media’s in on it, too: visit KFI AM 640′s website and you’ll be greeted with a screaming banner that reads “Survive the 405 with KFI AM 640.”
I’m sure they’re not the only media outlet giving this closure the coverage it deserves.
But just remember what all of this is: pre-event coverage. A bridge demolition will shut down the 405′s Sepulveda Pass this weekend, not a serious crash. One of those is thoroughly planned for and expected; the other is an out-of-the-blue occurrence that happens without warning.
Look, I’m sitting over 2000 miles away in Toronto and even I know about a road closure that will in no way affect me. Which leads me to conclude that Angelenos must have been bombarded with the news–over and over–by now.
That being the case, who in their right mind would try to venture through the area?
Yes, I know. Closing one of the most-travelled freeways in the United States will obviously have ripple effects on other roadways. There will be slowdowns.
I, however, contend it won’t be as bad as everyone expects it to be. And that’s because of all the coverage and warnings we’re getting now in “Carmageddon: The Prequel.”
But I guess we’ll have to wait until Monday to find out how it all ends and if people escape from the jaws of traffic for sure.
Image courtesy of biofriendly.
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