Be Excited! Be Prepared -- that's Santa Monica's official motto for the year-long closure of the California Incline. As if. The point is to retrofit the 1,400-foot structure, which joins PCH below with Ocean Avenue above, and make it seismically safe. From the city's web site:

The project entails demolition of the existing bridge and construction of a new bridge at the same location. The new structure will include a wider sidewalk and bicycle lanes. The north and south ends of the incline will remain a three-lane roadway that terminates at a signalized intersection. The new bridge will consist of a pile supported reinforced concrete slab structure with a width of 52-feet, an increase of 5-feet 8-inches over the existing structure.

Unlike other projects in high-traffic areas, work will stick to banker's hours. From The Malibu Times:

Despite pleas from commuters and locals, the construction company hired by the City of Santa Monica will only work a daytime shift Mondays through Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to the Santa Monica Canyon Civic Association. Many had hoped work would be done around-the-clock in order to speed up the project.

Martha Groves' story in the LA Times says to expect some lane closures on PCH.

Caltrans will allow the contractor, as needed, to close one northbound lane of PCH from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. between Labor Day and Memorial Day. No PCH lane closures will be allowed during the summer.

Lots more great vintage images and shots of the Incline over the years here, and from Curbed LA.

Close to 90 percent of the cost for retrofit, a joint project between Santa Monica and CalTrans, comes from federal funds. They're saying a year to 13 months for completion. We'll see. Meanwhile, the 13,000 vehicles that use the incline each day are going to have to find alternate routes. And just in time for summer.

May the odds be ever in your favor.