LIVE: 405 Freeway Reopens Sunday Night, 8 Hours Early

11:56 p.m. Good night, everyone! Thanks for following us. Carmageddon II now slips into history! 

11:53 p.m. LAPD Alert: The I 405 Fwy Unified Command announced that all I 405 & Sepulveda Pass on & off ramps & connectors are now re-opened.

8:49 p.m. Unified Command announced the following: 

"Kiewit, the contractor, has finished the clean up process and the re-opening process of the I-405 Freeway has begun. This process started at the I-10 connector ramps and will work north to open off-ramps at 8 p.m. and all lanes of the northbound I-405 freeway are anticipated to be open by 8:45 p.m. Once the freeway lanes are officially open, the contractor will start to open northbound on-ramps. Once the northbound lanes are open, the process will be repeated on the southbound lanes. The process of re-opening the entire I-405 Freeway will take approximately three hour. The Unified Command would like to thank Los Angeles residents for heeding the warning to avoid the Sepulveda Pass area and making Carmageddon II a success."

8:44 p.m. BREAKING: 405 Freeway reopening has begun. The northbound and southbound lanes and all ramps will open by 11 tonight.

6:59 p.m. How did Brentwood residents spend Carmageddon weekend? Brentwood Patch editor Matt Sanderson talked to people who were out in the area Sunday. Here's what they were up to.

6:40 p.m. After a long day of reporting from near the bridge, John Schreiber is headed out for the night. He says it looks like all the debris is gone from the freeway and street sweepers are picking up the last of it. Thanks for your great photos this weekend, John! 

6:18 p.m. Kasey Shuda of Metro just gave me some details about the work that's left to be done tonight before the freeway can reopen.

Basically, it's clean-up and inspections. Workers are clearing away all the bridge debris from the hillsides and on the freeway. Then, Caltrans, Metro and the contractor Kiewit will inspect the demolition area—both sides of the bridge and the freeway below, Shuda said.

After the demolition area is inspected, the California Highway Patrol and Unified Command will inspect the rest of the 10-mile segment of the 405. 

Once CHP gets the green light, the freeway lanes and the on- and off-ramps between the 10 and the 101 will begin to open. This process will begin before 5 a.m. so that everything will be completely open to meet the deadline.

5:28 p.m. K.N. Murthy of Metro says the demolition work is complete and crews are now inspecting the bottom of the bridge for any damage and clearing away remaining debris from the freeway.

5:25 p.m. One of the biggest complaints this weekend was the road closures for the Herbalife Triathlon Los Angeles, but the mayor said there are events every weekend in L.A.

"There is something every weekend in L.A... That is why we asked people to stay away from the area and they did," Villaraigosa said.

Yaroslavsky said the triathlon and Carmageddon "did not conflict with one another." 

"The triathlon is trouble enough when it happens and creates a north-south traffic situation... That would have been the case with or without Carmageddon."

Villaraigosa also said during the press conference that he was on "needles and pins" when the large piece of concrete fell from the bridge Saturday afternoon.

5:05 p.m. "This is the mother of all public works projects," Yaroslavsky says.

Mayor Villaraigosa is now reading his statement in Spanish.

5:04 p.m. "I want to thank Angelenos for making Carmageddon Carma-Heaven," Villaraigosa says.

County Supervisor and Metro Boardmember Zev Yaroslavsky is taking the podium.

5:03 p.m. "First and foremost, we're not done yet," Villaraigosa says. He says the freeway is on track to reopen on schedule by 5 a.m.

"The freeway is not opening until we said it would, until 5 a.m.," Villaraigosa says.

The bridge is completely demolished and clean-up has begun.

Caltrans also completed seven weeks of maintenance work over the weekend, saving about $200,000 in taxpayer dollars, KNX reports.

"The real star of this event was the motorists," Villaraigosa says, thanking L.A. residents for staying away from the area.

Villaraigosa also reiterated the need for clear roads close to the Sepulveda Pass.

“Until the reopening time is official, please continue to stay off the roads. The reason it has worked is because you have all heeded the call.” 

5 p.m. Right on time, the mayor has just stepped up to the podium at the press conference. We'll bring you updates soon.

3:33 p.m. That back-up of cars on Sepulveda is due to a stalled car that's been cleared out of the way. Officials still want to discourage drivers from venturing to the area.

3:08 p.m. On her way to Unified Command from the construction site, LAFD Captain Alicia Mathis said she saw cars starting to back up on Sepulveda Bouelvard and other streets near the Sepulveda Pass.

A statement from Unified Command says the scheduled press conference at 5 p.m. is not to announce the opening of the freeway. Officials are asking people to stay out of the area because the freeway will not be opening at 5 p.m.

"The I-405 Freeway will NOT reopen at 5 p.m," the statement says. "The purpose of the press conference is to give a demolition status update only."

Sepulveda is the only access road the mayor can use to reach the construction site for the press conference.

"After all our good work this year, after all our good work last year, we don't want traffic to be so backed up that the mayor can't get to the press conference," Mathis said.

2:56 p.m. It looks like Westwood Village is pretty empty, though some businesses are reporting unexpected crowds. Westwood-Century City Patch editor Meredith Skrzypczak talked to a manager at one of the movie theaters in the village: "It's been really busy," Obet Maldonado said. "We didn't expect it to be busy."

2:38 p.m. In case you're staying home and inside this weekend, you should know that it is BLAZING hot out. LAFD Assistant Chief Pat Butler said temperatures in the canyon just east of the Sepulveda Pass reached a whopping 107 degrees at 2 p.m. 

2:05 p.m. The press conference with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa moved to 5 p.m. does not mean the 405 Freeway is opening at 5 p.m., LAPD officials said. Unified Command wants to avoid having drivers jamming the roads near the 405 on-ramps at 5 p.m. The project is still on schedule.

1:40 p.m. How are people and businesses in Culver City faring with the triathlon road closures and Carmageddon II? Culver City Patch Editor Kelly Hartog chatted with people out and about Sunday morning. Click here to see the full gallery.

Karen Hansen, who owns Copenhagen Bakery on Washington Boulevard said there is good news and bad news about this weekend's road closures.

"It's been really busy," Hansen said. "We've had a lot of foot traffic with people staying home and just walking round the neighborhood. But some of my workers had a hard time getting here today," she added. "One of them came from Griffith Park and with all the triathlon road closures and the 405 [closure] it was tough."

11:20 a.m. Here's an update from Santa Monica Patch editor Jenna Chandler.

UCLA juniors Cory Ferris and Renee Romero avoided the 405 Sunday morning by taking the bus from their apartments in Westwood to downtown Santa Monica. They strolled Ocean Avenue in the hot sun.

Ferris said her carpool left an hour early for dragon boat racing practice Saturday morning at Mother’s Beach in Long Beach and was forced to take the bus home. The carpool’s driver lives in Little Tokyo and didn’t want to navigate surface streets to drop her back off in Westwood.

11:08 a.m. From John Schreiber: Metro said it is still on schedule but does not say work will be completed early... Just on time. 

"There is a lot of work going on that you don't see," said Marc Littman of Metro. Just because the bridge looks like it is almost done, there is still lots of work going on in other parts of the closed freeway.

Each of the four columns that was torn down weighs approximately one million pounds. 

Because the freeway was fully closed, CalTrans said it was able to complete seven weeks worth of work in just one weekend. 

LAFD said there are still no major incidents to report, resources are ready on both sides of the pass should something happen. 

10:09 a.m. John Schreiber, one of our editors, is near the bridge and he says only one column is left on the bridge and crews are chipping away at it. As of 7:30 a.m. today, two columns were left. Progress! 

9:40 a.m. A press conference with L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at the construction site has been moved up to 5 p.m. from 10 p.m., and it could be a sign that the freeway may reopen early. Check back here for updates.

9:37 a.m.  Some people were cited and detained earlier this morning by the California Highway Patrol for trespassing on the closed section of the 405 Freeway. There were two incidents and they were unrelated, according to a statement from Unified Command.

Two of the people were a newlywed couple, who were spotted at 3:40 a.m. near the Sunset Boulevard on-ramp. The couple were cited and released.

Officers also cited four rollerbladers near the southbound Getty Center Drive off-ramp, and one other pedestrian.

A statement from Unified Command reminds people to stay away from the freeway:

We remind the public that not only is it illegal to attempt to enter the closed freeway, but extremely dangerous. Construction vehicles are not expecting pedestrians on the closed freeway. Lighting is limited and dust can obstruct the view of construction vehicles. There are many hazards in and around the worksite that are hidden by construction material.

This report was compiled with information from City News Service.

8:11 a.m. The leaders of the Herbalife Triathlon have transitioned to biking now. Venice Boulevard will be closed from the ocean to Fairfax until about 10 a.m. Olympic Boulevard is closed between Fairfax and L.A. Live, where the race finishes. Make sure you check live traffic conditions if you're driving in that area this morning.

Sunday, 7:59 a.m. Good morning, everyone. We're now within 24 hours of the contractor's 5 a.m. Monday deadline to reopen the freeway and the latest update from officials is that the project is on track to meet that deadline.

Crews began demolishing the bridge columns last night around 10 p.m., and as of 7:30 a.m., there are only two remaining: one on the east side of the bridge and one on the west side. 

Also, all spans of the bridge are now complete and workers are breaking down and removing the pieces of the bridge.

Check back here for updates all day on the project and when the freeway is projected to open.

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10:00 p.m. I'm signing off for the night. We'll be back in the morning with more updates on Carmageddon II.

9:50 p.m. Workers have completed the demolition of two parts of the Mulholland Bridge, and a third segment is 75 percent complete. Tearing down the columns, a lengthy process, is underway and crews will work on that through the night.

Here's the full statement from Unified Command.

The Mulholland Bridge demolition is on schedule. The West and Center spans are both complete. The demolition of the East span is 75 percent complete. The demolition of the columns has just begun and will be a long process that will continue through the night.

The I-405 Freeway South Getty on ramp will close tonight from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. for restriping.

The progress is moving forward as planned and the public has remained vigilant about staying outside of the construction area allowing crews to complete the necessary work.

8:40 p.m. I'm expecting an update from officials at Unified Command in about twenty minutes.

8:10 p.m. Things have been pretty quiet here at the Unified Command Center. Make sure you check out the photos John Schreiber took of the Mulholland Bridge during tonight's sunset.

6:04 p.m. A large piece of the Mulholland Bridge that fell down this afternoon will not delay the reopening of the 405 Freeway, said Dan Kulka, public relations manager for Kiewit.

"During demolition of a huge bridge like this, it's not unusual for pieces of all sizes to come down and though we didn't anticipate a piece this big to fall down, it's not unusual," Kulka said.

Crews will break down the large piece on the ground instead of on the bridge, Kulka said.

5:58 p.m. Officials are saying the project is still on schedule and a large piece of concrete that fell off the bridge did not damage any new construction. Here's the official statement from the Unified Command Center:

Within the past hour a large section of the Mulholland Bridge that is being demolished fell down. This morning another large piece dropped. This is not cause for concern. It did not damage the newly constructed portion of the bridge nor should it cause any delays. The contractor usually cuts the sections into smaller pieces. Structural safety engineers are currently assessing how the large section can be safely demolished.

5:22 p.m. Waiting on an update now, work has halted on the east side of the Mulholland Bridge.

5:05 p.m. Metro has confirmed work is slowing down on the east side of the bridge and it appears a piece of concrete that fell about an hour ago may have caused some problems. I'm told an update is coming in about ten minutes.

4:45 p.m. Our photographer John Schreiber says construction has slowed considerably at the Mulholland Bridge. I'm waiting for an update from someone at Unified Command. More to come. —Sara Fay

4:10 p.m. John Schreiber submitted an update from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at the press confererce at Carmageddon Camp this afternoon. He did a flyover of the city to check out congestion in the L.A. area today.

"We are asking people to continue to do what they have done," he said. "If you get in the car and come out here, it is going to be congestion like we haven’t seen. If people keep on heeding the call—they stay local, shop local, get on Metro—things are going to be okay."

Villaraigosa added there is no way that this is going to get done on Sunday.

"It is just not going to happen everybody," he said, adding that work will not conclude early like it did last year.

The mayor said that crews are about one hour ahead of schedule.

“It is a very thin margin," he said. "Something could happen to bring that hour back. We expect that we are going to make the deadline."

But Villaraigosa added, "No guarantee."

3:38 p.m. Patch's John Schreiber and other media representatives are getting a closer look at the bridge construction. They are being allowed to walk closer to the demolition of the bridge. New photos to come!

3:02 p.m. LAPD Lt. Andy Nieman advises that if you're planning to travel tonight, like to the Dodgers game, Hollywood Bowl or L.A. Live, give yourself plenty of extra time and plan to take a route that's further away so you're not caught on the streets near the 405. Check a live traffic map before you leave to plan your route.

2:41 p.m. LAFD spokesman Eric Scott reports about the emergency personnel on the Kawasaki motorcycles, seen in a photo here.

If there's an emergency, call 911 he said, and their Mulholland incident commander will then dispatch the appropriate resource and if it dictates the motorcycle response. So far, Scott said they've responded to some routine medical incidents and a traffic collision, and will continue to be utilized during the 53-hour closure.

2:28 p.m. Kelly Markham from Caltrans reports they are seeing "pretty typical" traffic levels for a weekend in Los Angeles. Some areas are slowing as they'd expected, such as in areas on the I-405 northbound just south of the 10, on the 110 going through downtown and slowing on the 110 southbound heading toward downtown. 

As with the first Carmageddon, Markham said Caltrans has halted all other major construction projects in the region this weekend so people can use alternative freeways.

"We are on schedule," she said. "The center span has come down. They are about 40 percent slotting the top deck, jackhammering."

2:18 p.m. I'm overhearing the potential pitfalls for commuters today are:

• The Dodgers play at 6 p.m.
• There are concerts tonight at the Hollywood Bowl and the Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live

2:03 p.m. California Highway Patrol reports that between 6 a.m. and 12 p.m. last Saturday, Sept. 22, in West L.A. there were 18 traffic collisions. This Saturday in that same timeframe, there have been 14 collisions.

1:54 p.m. From Carmageddon Camp, John Schreiber's reporting that it's hot and humid near the site. He's heard that a press conference is scheduled at the site for 3 p.m. and a walk through for media is scheduled from 4 to 5 p.m.

The Mulholland span that went over the 405 is completely demolished, Schreiber said. Metro’s saying they're working on the deck above the bridge columns, and the columns will most likely go on Sunday.

Schreiber added there are people showing up to a public viewing area, some with coolers hanging out, but it's not overrun.

He's also seeing LAFD driving around on Kawasaki dirt bikes, fully equipped with medical supplies and AEDs, whcih was also done during Carmageddon I.

1:44 p.m. I'm getting an alert of automated traffic sensors showing heavy congestion in West Los Angeles near the northbound San Diego (405) Freeway closure. It may be coastal beach traffic for this time of day, according to Bruce Gilman of DOT. Road sensors show heavy traffic on Venice Boulevard east of the 405, Overland Avenue between Culver City and Westwood, and other surface streets crossing the 405, or parallel to the 405, in Westwood and West Los Angeles.

Other congested areas listed include:

• Northbound Beverly Glen Boulevard appears to be quite heavy north of Santa Monica Boulevard.
• One mile of northbound PCH between Venice Boulevard north to the National Boulevard and Santa Monica (10) Freeway exits.
• Eastbound Ventura Boulevard approaching the 405 in Sherman Oaks.
• Northbound 405 ramp at Greenleaf Drive, at Sepulveda Boulevard just south of Ventura, has been re-opened, according to Highway Patrol.
• Heavy beach traffic is observed on PCH between Malibu and Santa Monica.

1:21 p.m. Here's a huge shoutout to the LAPD and LAFD cooks at EOC who just made an amazing lunch for everyone here. Thanks guys! - Matt

12:30 p.m. Fun fact from Metro: Crews have to move approximately 2,700 cubic yards of debris and 300 tons of steel from under the bridge as it is demolished. - John

12:20 p.m. Here's the 12 p.m. Nixle message from LAPD: On schedule and things are going well. Demolition of the center span (over the freeway) is nearly complete. Slotting of the top desk on the two outer spans is 40 percent complete.

11:58 a.m. Metro spokesman Rick Jager reports that buses and railways are working fine, with no spike in ridership.

"We added six car trains to the subway system," he said. "They normally run three-car trains."

Jager added they have ability to add service to the rest of the lines: Blue, Expo and Orange.

11:33 a.m. LAPD Lt. Andy Nieman said the only glitch they've seen today is large commercial trucks with height and weight restrictions trying to use Sepulveda Boulevard between Wilshire and Ventura boulevards.

"We’re getting reports of large delivery trucks are trying to use Sepulveda as a bypass for the closure," Nieman said. "It’s an extreme issue for passage through the tunnel at Mulholland."

Nieman adds they distributed that message throughout the trucking industry to its unions and representatives, although maybe it did not reach the smaller companies. He said, depending on the violation, results could be the impounding and seizure of the vehicle, and said they need everyone's cooperation, especially the trucking industry.

"We’re certainly spreading that word," Nieman said to KNX. "We hope trucking companies are listening right now. Don’t use Sepulveda as a source to make deliveries.

On the work front, Nieman said everything's progressing as planned. They sent out a Nixle blast at 6 a.m. and will have another coming shortly near noon. No columns on the Mulholland Bridge are knocked down, as evidence by John Schreiber's photos, work is happening on the bridge's top deck.

11:26 a.m. From editor John Schreiber at the construction site — Alicia Mathis of LAFD: "We have no major incidents to report...so far, Carmageddon II is an excellent sequel."

Metro's K.N. Murthy adds everything is on schedule.

11:15 a.m. I just spoke to a person in EOC looking for a public information officer. She told me the project's still on schedule and there are no incidents reported. 

Officials are encouraging drivers to use regional freeway systems to get around today, and if possible, try to avoid using Sepulveda Boulevard. - Matt

11:08 a.m. And we're up again at Metro Headquarters in downtown. I'll be looking into updates, incidents and connect back with our contacts back at Carmageddon Camp. - Matt

10:30 a.m. Pacific Palisades/Brentwood Local Editor Matt Sanderson will be at the Metro HQ today. Got questions for Metro? Matt will track down the answers.

10:09 a.m. Encino is fearless! Here's Encino-Tarzana Patch Local Editor Anna King's video on how folks there are taking the closing.

What's happening where you are? Tell us in the comments.

9:47 a.m. Don't forget: Metro has gathered local area discounts to encourage drivers to eat, shop and play in their communities. Check out the discounts here.

9:12 a.m. Patch is covering Carmageddon II through the scheduled opening of the freeway Monday morning. Follow this live blog, tweet #patchcarmageddon to send us photos and let us know how you're dealing with the 405 closure.

Hope you caught Patch Editor Jared Morgan's video on last night's construction work. Editor John Schreiber will be in the communities that rely on the 405 to see how folks are coping. Let us know how you are dealing with Carmageddon in the comments!

8:50 a.m. Good morning! Demolition is underway on the Mulholland Drive bridge. For a live stream, go to the Metro site to see progress on the work via a feed from KABC. 

12:17 a.m. EOC announces full closure is in effect.

12:11 a.m. The northbound side of the 405 in the Sepulveda Pass is fully closed. The southbound side is still pending, say officials.

12:06 a.m. Unified Command has announced the following closures:

• Westbound I-10 connector to northbound I-405 is closed.
• Southbound US-101 connector to southbound I-405 is closed.
• Eastbound I-10 connector to northbound I-405 is closed.

12:05 a.m. Saturday EOC officials are verifying if the 405 Freeway has closed. Still waiting.

11:50 p.m. Here we go, the big midnight closures approach. Say hello to Carmageddon II:

• Northbound full freeway closed from I-10 to US-1-101 closed tonight, midnight to 5 a.m.
• Southbound lanes fully closed from US-1-101 to southbound Getty on-ramp tonight, midnight to 5 a.m.
• Note: The end times given to the closures list for Friday, Sept. 28 were provided by Metro at the press conference. Those ramps, lanes and connectors remain closed throughout the weekend and will not reopen until the project is complete in the 53-hour timeframe.

11:33 p.m. Jared Morgan reports on site that if the 405 does not open on time Monday morning, it's a $6,000 fine per lane every 10 minutes, and it's $60,000 per minute if all lanes stay closed past 53 hours, according to Metro spokesman Dave Sotero. During Carmageddon I, the 405 Freeway opened 17 hours early with a $300,000 bonus. Sotero says that this year, there is no bonus, just penalty.

11:27 p.m. I'm waiting to hear an update of the action at "Carmageddon Camp." It's pretty quiet here at EOC. We need some theme music! In the meantime, listen to these Carmageddon tunes, including a great spoof videothat surfaced today on Patch about driving on the 405. Also, here's aCarmageddon playlist. What songs would you add?

10:52 p.m. I've been having very nice chats with all the people working late into the night in downtown, including public safety officials, members of the media and public information officers. Santa Monica's Public Information Manager Robin Gee stopped by a half hour or so ago to say hello. Thanks for welcoming me to my first Carmageddon everyone! - Matt

10:49 p.m. An officer with Unified Command in the EOC reports no issues, incidents or congestion on or in the area of the 405 as of this hour.

10:42 p.m. LAPD sent out an alert that all ramps are officially closed on the northbound I-405 between the I-10 and US-101. All ramps southbound, (except sunset and beyond), eastbound I-10 to northbound I-405 Freeway are closed. Here are the 11 p.m. closures:

• Westbound I-10 connector to northbound I-405 closed tonight 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.
• Northbound HOV/1 lane closed from Culver to Venice tonight 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.
• Southbound US-1-101 connector to southbound I-405 closed tonight 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.
• Southbound HOV/#1 lane closed from Sherman Way to Burbank tonight 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.

10:10 p.m. Jared Morgan, Patch editor and videographer, has been at "Camp Carmageddon" since the lanes began closing earlier this evening. He provided this video clip from earlier, and he's compiling other material for when things start to get interesting around the Mulholland Bridge.

Metro officials are saying dirt will be brought onto the freeway at midnight, as part of the mobilization to demolish a portion of the bridge.

10:01 p.m. The 10 p.m. closures are now in effect as full closure of the 405 nears. LAPD officers in Unified Command are bringing in sleeping bags for the late night haul at EOC.

9:40 p.m. The traffic flow in the area is light and there are no reports of incidents or congestion at this time. Full closure of the 405 is on schedule to take place at 12 midnight.

The public is reminded to Eat, Shop and Play Locally. Check this map from Metro for Carmageddon deals and discounts taking place in the area.

9:36 p.m. The EOC just gave this latest update:

• All on ramps northbound of the I-405 Freway between the I-10 and U.S. 101 are closed.
• All ramps southbound of the I-405 Freeway except Sunset Boulevard and south of Sunset Boulevard are closed.
• Eastbound I-10 Santa Monica Freeway to northbound I-405 connector is closed.

9:29 p.m. According to SigAlert, the only red I'm seeing in the entire area is the 405 northbound and the 405 southbound only north of the 405. More ramps and lanes are gearing up for closure at 10 p.m.

8:45 p.m. We're coming up at 15 minutes to the hour where the big 9 p.m. closure occurs. Scroll down for that. Here are the ramp and lane closures coming up at 10 p.m.

• Northbound on-ramp from Olympic Boulevard closed tonight from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Northbound on-ramp from westbound Wilshire Boulevard closed tonight from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Southbound on-ramp from Getty Center Drive is closed tonight from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Northbound 4 and 5 lanes are closed from south of Skirball off-ramp to north of Mulholland Drive tonight from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
• Southbound 3, 4 and 5 lanes closed from Bel Air Crest to north of Susnet tonight from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Southbound 4 and 5 lanes are closed from Mulholland to north of Sunset tonight from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Mulholland Drive is fully closed from Zeldins to Skirball Drive tonight from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Northbound US-1-101 connector to southbound I-405 closed tonight from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

8:32 p.m. Ipsen said the EOC communicates with Unified Command, which consists of the Los Angeles police and fire departments, California Highway Patrol and the Department of Transportation.

"I'm running a joint information center with all their public information officers," he said, saying it's an easier way to streamline getting the word out of Carmageddon activitie through Nixle and social media. "We understand the message needs to get out quick."

Ipsen said that, currently, the city is at Level 1, where EOC is monitoring all activities through Unified Command. The city is divided into four quandrants, he said, and given the 405 closure, if a wildfire breaks out, they already have incident commanders in place ready to move to the fire in minutes. Two weekends ago, the Sepulveda Pass and Pacific Palisades saw wildfires. If something else were to happen in Los Angeles during Carmageddon II, such as a fire, they would move to Level 2.

Ipsen adds, "Don't test the freeways. Don't get into your car."

8:27 p.m. Chris Ipsen, emergency preparedness cooridinator with the Los Angeles Emergency Operations Center (EOC), just came out of the control room saying most of the highways, except for the 405 northbound are green right now, an early indicator that people are getting off the highways early this Friday night.

7:50 p.m. The big closure coming up for 9 p.m. is the eastbound I-10 connector to northbound I-405, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. You'll want to get off the roads.

7:48 p.m. The 8 p.m. closures are coming up 10 minutes to the hour. Scroll down for that complete list.

7:16 p.m. What are you doing to avoid the roads tonight? Upload your photos and videos of the traffic in your neighborhood or what you're doing tonight besides driving. You can click the button on this article that says "upload photos and videos." Thanks for sharing!

6:50 p.m. We're heading into the first round of closures at 7 p.m.. Scroll down to see the list of the on- and off-ramps set to close.

6:41 p.m. Head over to our Storify post to see all news, views and photos from Westsiders taking to the web during the 405 closure: http://patch.com/A-ymdF.

Tweet us at #patchcarmageddon to join the conversation.

6:30 p.m.

The 8 p.m. closures are:

• Northbound on-ramp from Santa Monica Boulevard closed tonight, 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Northbound on-ramp from eastbound Wilshire Boulevard closed tonight, 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Northbound on-ramp from Sunset Boulevard closed tonight, 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Northbound on-ramp from Moraga Boulevard closed tonight, 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Northbound on-ramp closed from Greeleaf tonight, 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.
• Southbound off-ramp to Haskell closed tonight, 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.
• Northbound off-ramp to Haskell closed tonight, 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.

6:23 p.m. Patch, KNX and KPCC have dubbed our area at Unified Command "Carmageddon Headquarters." Fairly soon we'll provide footage and feedback from "Carmageddon Camp" out on the 405. 

6:06 p.m.

Here are the closures for 7 p.m.

• Northbound on-ramp from Getty Center Drive closed tonight, 7 p.m. yo 6 a.m.
• Northbound off-ramp to Skirball Center Drive closed tonight, 7 p.m. to midnight.
• Southbound off-ramp/5-lane closed to Skirball tonight, 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Northbound on-ramp/auxiliary lane closed from Skirball Center Drive to north of Mulholland tonight, 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Southbound on-ramp from Skirball closed tonight, 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Southbound on-ramp from Valley Vista closed tonight, 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Soutbbound on-ramp from Ventura closed tonight, 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Sepulveda Boulevard reduced to one lane each direction near Getty Center Drive, 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.

The 8 o'clock list is coming in a few minutes.

5:45 p.m.

Cpt. Matt Guthrie of the California Highway Patrol expanded on how they'll be patrolling the 405 Freeway during its closure this weekend.

"One thing we did this year different is roving patrols," he said, noting to ensure the safety of the workers on the 405, but to also dissuade anyone from the public interfering by going on the freeway, concern from Carmageddon I.

CHP will be providing air support - both fixed wing and helicopter - cars and motorcycles during the day in nighttime for the roving patrols.

5:34 p.m.

And Patch is live from Unified Central Command in downtown where the live press conference just wrapped up with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Supervisor Zev Yaroslovsky and public safety officials involved with Unified Command.

"Please heed the call to stay local," urged Mayor Villaraigosa, telling members of the media they were the reason "Carma-Heaven I" was a real success. He said they hope to reopen by 5 a.m. Monday morning.

The California Highway Patrol stressed for people to stay away from the 405 this weekend, and if you try to sneak out there, you will be arrested.

The mayor said they have 76 engineers out there and 400 police officers in between the 10 and 110 freeways. In addition, the Westside will see extra fire and emergency personnel available.

- Matthew Sanderson

5:23 p.m.

We'll have an update from a press conference at the command center shortly. In the meantime, here's a recap:

• Lanes on the 405 will begin to close at 7 p.m.
• Full closure is at 10 p.m.

Traffic is looking pretty bad right now, but dare I say...not much worse than any other Friday around 5:30 p.m.?

P.S. For funny and informative Carmageddon Tweets and photos, make sure you check out this post. 

5:05 p.m.

If you want text message alerts from local authorities on the 405 closure, you can subscribe by sending 405FWY to 888777. You will receive these alerts through Monday.

4:50 p.m. Friday

Hi, L.A. Patch readers! Happy Friday, and happy Carmageddon. Let's make it an easy and informative weekend. This page will be updated by L.A. Patch editors throughout Carmageddon weekend with the latest news — everything from photos of the empty 405 and the Mulholland Bridge, live updates from the Metro command center on the project status, and any pesky planking attempts.

At 5 p.m., we'll have updates from a Metro press conference. For now, check out the links below for Carmageddon survival tips and other helpful information.

—Sara Fay

Carmageddon News and Views: The Best Tweets and Pics

The Twitterverse is just getting warmed up. Watch this page for the funniest and most informative Tweets and photos about Carmageddon right here.

Getting to and from LAX During Carmageddon Weekend

Booked a flight into or out of L.A. this weekend? Have a friend or family member flying in for a visit? We feel your pain. Check out these tips for getting to the airport and find out how many air travelers are expected at LAX this weekend. It's pretty amazing.

If you needed more of a reason to have a "staycation" this weekend, Metro partnered with hundreds of L.A. businesses to offer deals and specials this weekend. See what's going on in your neighborhood here.