Interstate 5 shield (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
By Randy Economy
Caltrans will begin demolition work on the Santa Ana Freeway (Interstate 5) Alondra Boulevard Bridge on Friday, June 14, 2013 and will continue for six weekends on Friday and Saturday nights, weather permitting.
The project will have a direct impact on traffic in the Norwalk, La Mirada, Cerritos and Santa Fe Springs area, Caltrans officials warn.
Three weekends of demolition work are scheduled per each half of the bridge.
Full directional freeway closures – in one direction only – between Carmenita Road and Valley View Avenue will take place each weekend through July, with the exception of July 5 and 6.
Earlier this week on June 10, Caltrans fully closed the Alondra Boulevard Bridge, a segment of Alondra Boulevard between Freeway Drive and Marquardt Avenue, and the northbound I-5 on-ramp at Alondra Boulevard to prepare the roadway and the structure for demolition, to place detours, barriers and signs and re-stripe the roadway. The Alondra Blvd. Bridge and Alondra Boulevard (between Freeway Dr. and Marquardt Ave.) will remain closed until mid-to-late 2014 for bridge reconstruction, retaining wall construction and roadway improvements on Alondra Boulevard.
The schedule for freeway lanes, ramps and connectors is as follows:
Friday, June 14 – 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. and Saturday, June 15 – 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. Northbound I-5 Full Freeway Closure: Between Valley View Ave and Carmenita Rd. All northbound I-5 motorists must exit at the Valley View Ave. off-ramp. 10 p.m. – northbound I-5 lanes begin to close. One lane will close at hourly intervals between Valley View Ave and Carmenita Rd. By midnight, the full freeway closure will be in place.
11:59 p.m. to 7 a.m.- Full Freeway Closure on northbound I-5 between Valley View and Carmenita; The work involves the demolition of the western half of the structure.
Northbound I-5 Ramp Closures: 11 p.m.- 8 a.m. -northbound I-5 on-ramps at Artesia Blvd, Valley View Ave and Carmenita Rd. Note: the northbound I-5 on-ramp at Alondra Boulevard is temporarily CLOSED.
Southbound I-5 Lane Closures: 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. – Additionally, up to two lanes on southbound I-5 will be closed from Carmenita Rd to Valley View for the safety of crews and motorists during demo work.
Westbound SR-91/I-5 Full Connector Closure: 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. – Westbound Artesia Freeway (State Route 91) connector to northbound I-5. Detour: to reconnect to northbound I-5, motorists will be detoured to use westbound SR-91 to northbound San Gabriel River Freeway (I-605) to northbound I-5.
Local commuters in the cities of Santa Fe Springs, La Mirada and Norwalk are encouraged to use the marked detours on Artesia Boulevard, Valley View Avenue and Carmenita Road. Please consider the detour in your commute and allow extra time to arrive at your destination.
Friday, June 21 – 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. and Saturday, June 22 – 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. Southbound I-5 Full Freeway Closure: Between Carmenita Road and Valley View Avenue. All southbound I-5 motorists must exit at the Carmenita Road off-ramp.
10 p.m. – southbound I-5 lanes begin to close. One lane will close at hourly intervals between Carmenita Rd and Valley View Ave. By midnight, the full freeway closure will be in place. 11:59 p.m. to 7 a.m.- Full Freeway Closure on southbound I-5 between Carmenita and Valley View. The work involves the demolition of the eastern half of the structure.
Southbound I-5 Ramp Closures: 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. – Southbound I-5 on-ramps at Rosecrans Ave and Carmenita Rd. Northbound I-5 Lane Closures: Additionally, up to two lanes will be closed on NB I-5 between Carmenita Rd and Valley View Ave for the safety of crews and motorists.
Southbound I-605/I-5 Full Connector Closure: 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. – Southbound I-605 connector to southbound I-5 will be closed. Detour: to reconnect to southbound I-5, motorists will be detoured to use southbound I-605 to eastbound SR-91 to southbound I-5.
Friday, June 28 – 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. – Northbound I-5 Full Freeway Closure (same as June 14 and 15) and Saturday, June 29 – 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. Friday, July 5 and Saturday, July 6 – No work due to the 4th of July holiday weekend
Friday, July 12 – 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. – Southbound I-5 Full Freeway Closure (same as June 21 and 22) and Saturday, July 13 – 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.
Friday, July 19 – 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. – Northbound I-5 Full Freeway Closure (same as June 14 and 15) and Saturday, July 20 – 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.
Friday, July 26 – 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. – Southbound I-5 Full Freeway Closure (same as June 21 and 22) and Saturday, July 27 – 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.
The work is part of the $110 million Santa Ana Freeway (I-5) HOV Widening and Alondra Boulevard Bridge Project to construct one carpool and one general purpose lane in each direction, from North Fork Coyote Creek Bridge to Marquardt Avenue, reconstruct overcrossings at Alondra Boulevard and North Fork Coyote Creek, and realign and upgrade adjacent frontage roads. The 57-year-old Alondra Blvd. Bridge will be widened from a four-lane to a six-lane bridge, with three lanes in each direction, and will also be longer to accommodate a wider I-5 freeway. The project is expected to complete in mid-2015. The contractor for the Alondra Blvd. Project is C.C. Myers, Inc. of Anaheim, Ca.
The motoring public, residents and businesses are encouraged to sign-up for regular notification on street, lane and ramp closures by calling the toll-free I-5 South Corridor Improvement Projects Hotline (855) 454-6335 or visiting www.I-5info.com Caltrans lane closure information can be accessed at www.lcswebreports.dot.ca.gov
The I-5 South Corridor Improvement Projects are overseen by Caltrans District 7 and project funding is administered by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro).
