The border of Orange and Los Angeles counties may experience its own “Carmageddon” with the closure of the southbound 605 freeway connector to the southbound 405 freeway which began last night and will continue around the clock for the next two weeks.
The $277 million highway project is necessary to align a road that carries an estimated 54,000 vehicles daily with a widened 405 and, eventually, the carpool lanes of the 405, 605 and 22 freeways, according to the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA).
This first phase is scheduled to be completed in mid-August, but the entire project that includes building/rebuilding bridges and sound walls and planting new landscaping won’t be completed until 2014.
Detour signs will be posted and the OCTA recommends drivers take the following routes from the southbound I-605:
- Exit Spring Street, continue west to Woodruff Avenue, and proceed south to the southbound I-405 on-ramp.
- Exit Spring Street, continue west to Studebaker Road, and proceed south to the eastbound 22 on-ramp. Take the eastbound 22 connector to the southbound I-405.
- Exit Katella Avenue and continue east. Turn right on Los Alamitos Boulevard/Seal Beach Boulevard and continue south to the southbound I-405 on-ramp.
- Take the westbound 22 connector toward Long Beach. Exit Studebaker Road and continue south to the eastbound 22 on-ramp. Proceed eastbound on the 22 until the freeway transitions to the southbound I-405.
To register for detour alerts go to http://www.octa.net/wcontact.aspx
