The 'Rampture' Cometh to Ye 405 Freeeway

A 50-year-old shortcut on the San Diego (405) Freeway will begin to disappearing next weekend, as the $1 billion Sepulveda Pass freeway widening project claims part of the northbound collector ramps at Wilshire Boulevard.

Effective next weekend for about three months, freeway traffic heading north on the 405 cannot use the westbound ramp to exit to Wilshire Boulevard towards Brentwood or the V.A. Hospital. Motorists are advised to exit the 405 at Santa Monica Boulevard and use surface streets. And traffic heading west on Wilshire from the UCLA area will not be able to enter the northbound 405 at Wilshire, but will be detoured up Sepulveda to the next on-ramps, near Sunset Boulevard.

The Brentwood Community Council is expecting the worst, having asked a Metro representative visiting the council for traffic officers to be posted at various intersections in the Los Angeles neighborhood.

All eight ramps at the interchange will be shut down—two at a time—to rebuild the 1950s-style cloverleaf-style interchange, which sits on bridges above Sepulveda and Wilshire boulevards, Metro officials said.

The project has been dubbed "ramp jam," "rampture" and "octojam.

Contractors are to permanently seal the ramp next Friday to begin installing a new fly-over structure that will eventually separate exiting and entering traffic, Metro officials said.

Construction on the Wilshire ramps will continue 24 hours per day and 7 days per week until they are complete, metro officials said.

The project could take up to 90 days, according to Metro.

The new interchange will mean northbound 405 freeway traffic will not be able to "sneak through" the Wilshire collector ramps to bypass stopped cars on the freeway mainline lanes.

From Metro:

• June 21: Full closure of Sepulveda, from Wilshire to Montana, 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Two lanes closed in each direction of EB/WB Wilshire, from Veteran to Federal, 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• June 22-23: Full closure of Sepulveda, Wilshire to Montana, 9 p.m. to 10a.m.
• Two lanes closed, EB/WB Wilshire, from Veteran to Federal, 9 p.m. to 10 a.m.
• June 24: Full closure of Sepulveda, Wilshire to Montana, 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Two lanes closed, EB/WB Wilshire, Veteran to Federal, 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Emergency vehicle access will be maintained.
• Work is weather permitting and subject to change.
• Visit our website for the latest project updates, www.metro.net/I-405