Late 405 Freeway Opening Causes Major Traffic Jams

A pair of freeway projects snarled traffic on two major northbound freeways into the San Fernando Valley Saturday.

An overnight closure on the northbound San Diego (405) Freeway at Santa Monica Boulevard lasted 75 minutes longer than planned, and the lanes were not reopened until 10:15 a.m., according to CHP officers.

The northbound 405's six lanes of traffic were restricted to one lane, which had to exit at Santa Monica Boulevard and go through the signal there before re-entering the freeway. The overnight closure was necessary as new cement was laid to remove a pair of large bumps at the 405's bridge over Santa Monica Boulevard, Metro officials had said.

But the late reopening caused the 405 to back up into the South Bay area, and surface arteries in West L.A. and Culver City were badly congested.