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“In towns and cities... there is no more important institution than the local paper.”
Warren Buffett
California Department of Transportation (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
(La Mirada) The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will fully close Alondra Boulevard in both directions between Freeway Drive and Marquardt Avenue beginning Monday, January 7, 2013 until approximately spring 2014.
The closed roadway includes the Alondra Boulevard Bridge, which will undergo reconstruction during this long-term closure as part of the Santa Ana Freeway (I-5) HOV Widening and Alondra Boulevard Bridge Project.
Also on January 7, the existing northbound I-5 on-ramp at Alondra Boulevard will be closed permanently. A temporary northbound I-5 on-ramp at Freeway Drive will be constructed during the next six months and open to motorists by early July 2013.
This temporary ramp will be used for about two years until a new, permanent on-ramp is constructed as part of the project. Motorists will have access to northbound I-5 by accessing the on-ramp at Carmenita Road. The 57-year-old Alondra Boulevard Bridge will be demolished in late January 2013 to reconstruct, widen and elongate the structure to accommodate a wider I-5 freeway.
The new bridge will be widened from four lanes to six lanes, with three lanes in each direction. The work is part of the $1.6 billion I-5 South Corridor Improvement Projects to add one carpool and one general purpose lane in each direction along a seven-mile corridor from the Los Angeles/Orange County line to I-605.
“Half of the bridge is scheduled to come down a time,” said Dan Freeman, Acting Deputy District 7 Director for Construction. “Caltrans plans to keep one directional side of the freeway open to move traffic during the demolition work.”
On the following night or weekend, the same plan will take place on the opposite side of the freeway.
The $110 million Alondra Boulevard Bridge Project, from North Fork Coyote Creek Bridge to Marquardt Avenue, will reconstruct overcrossings at Alondra Boulevard and North Fork Coyote Creek, construct retaining walls and new ramps, improve the Alondra Boulevard roadway, and realign and upgrade adjacent frontage roads. The contractor for the Alondra Project is C.C. Myers, Inc. of Anaheim.
Local commuters are encouraged to use suggested detours on Valley View Ave., Artesia Blvd., and Carmenita Rd. (See map page 12). Expect delays and allow extra time in your commute. The public is encouraged to sign-up to receive email notifications on local street, freeway and ramp closures at the I-5 South Corridor Project Toll-Free Hotline (855) 454-6335 or by visiting www.I-5info.com
