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The "Rampture" is coming.
Also known as the "Ramp Jam" and "Octojam," this year's carpocalypse makes last year's Carmageddon (when a section of the 405 freeway was closed for a weekend) look like smooth sailing.
The project is going to last for an entire year and involve demolishing and rebuilding eight ramps on the 405 freeway. On Friday at 10 p.m., the first two Wilshire ramps will be closed for 90 days of 24-hour-per-day construction, NBC reports.
"The next 90 days are going to be very difficult. There's no way to put lipstick on this pig. It's 'Carmageddon' on steroids," LA County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky told the Beverly Hills Courier.
Here are the two ramps that are about to close and suggested detours for both:
RAMP CLOSURE #1: Westbound Wilshire on-ramp to 405N
Detours:
RAMP CLOSURE #2: 405N off-ramp to westbound WilshireDetours:
- Travel north on Sepulveda to the Sunset Blvd. or Moraga Dr. on-ramp.
- Travel south on Sepulveda to the Santa Monica Blvd. on-ramp.
- Exit the freeway using the Santa Monica Blvd. off-ramp, then head north on Sepulveda to Wilshire.
- If you're westbound on the 10, pass the 405N, get off at Bundy, which runs into Wilshire.
- Pass the Santa Monica Blvd. exit, pass the Wilshire exit, get off at Sunset and turn right on Sepulveda, which will take you to Wilshire.
In addition, during the nighttime hours stated below, part of Sepulveda and some lanes on Wilshire will be closed:
From 10 p.m. Fri. to 11 a.m. Sat.; 10 p.m. Sat. to 11 a.m. Sun.; and 8 p.m. Sun. to 6 a.m. Mon.:
- Sepulveda will be closed from Wilshire to Montana Ave.
- Two lanes in each direction on Wilshire will be closed from Veteran Ave. to Federal Ave.
Metro has been running ads on radio and newspaper websites this week, strongly urging commuters and residents in the area to plan alternative routes, take public transportation or even ask to work from home, Patch reports.
Six other Wilshire ramps will be closed in the future, for 14 to 90 days each. The schedule for these closures has yet to be released.
Kasey Shuda of Metro explained why the Wilshire ramps need to be rebuilt. “We are going to be eliminating the dangerous weave situation that happens when travelers exiting the freeway merge with those getting onto the freeway. We’re going to be building fly-over ramps so these two ramps will never touch in the future,” Shuda told CBS.
The impending 'Ramp Jam' is part of the larger $1-billion Sepulveda Pass Improvements Project, which included Carmageddon and will include a 10-mile carpool lane on the 405N.
PHOTOS OF THE SEPULVEDA PASS PROJECT:
All photos courtesy of the project's Facebook:
