Sunset Boulevard ramp off 405 to close for four months

Just when you thought the endless 405 freeway upgrade project was becoming manageable and some of the quote unquote upgrades were opening for use, the freeway gods play a little joke. Metro announced Wednesday that the offramp at Sunset Boulevard from the northbound 405 will close for four months, starting August 3. This off-ramp has been taking pressure off the busy Wilshire Boulevard off-ramp, which remains under construction and is a long way from morphing into this baby. Says Metro:

The I-405 Sepulveda Pass Improvements Project contractor is scheduled to begin a 120-day closure of the northbound I-405 off-ramp to Sunset Boulevard in West Los Angeles beginning August 3, 2013.

Northbound freeway motorists that normally utilize the Sunset off-ramp to access Westside destinations are encouraged to plan ahead to determine alternate routes, allow extra time to reach destinations, eliminate unnecessary trips to avoid peak congestion and/or consider ridesharing and public transit options.

The extended duration closure is required for the contractor to complete building a longer off-ramp that, when complete, will be 60 percent longer than the current off-ramp, contain 60 percent more capacity to store vehicles and more effectively separate traffic from Sunset Boulevard and the northbound I-405.

The new configuration will feature two northbound right-turn lanes to eastbound Sunset and one northbound left-turn lane to westbound Sunset.

Sepulveda Boulevard, which parallels the freeway and is the way that drivers there use to get around the work, will remain open in peak hours during the next four months — but will close completely at night. With a lot of reconstruction still left to do on the Wilshire flyover ramps that are a key to easing Westside street traffic, even years into this it feels like the 405 project disruption in Westwood, Brentwood, West LA and back as far as Beverly Hills and Santa Monica is still going to get worse before it gets better.

Top photo of lines at Wilshire/405 on-ramp: LA Observed