55-Hour, Extended Closure of US Route 101 Planned as Sixth Street Viaduct Arches Go Up Over Freeway

 

 

Freeway will be closed between Friday April 30th at 10 p.m. and Monday May 3rd at 5 a.m.

Caltrans District 7, in collaboration with the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering, is sharing this important news affecting travel on US Highway 101 in Los Angeles.

LOS ANGELES, CA (April 21, 2021) — The City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering announced today that as part of the City’s on-going construction of the $588 million Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement Project, the Bureau of Engineering and its construction partners, Skanska Stacy and Witbeck (SSW), will require a 55-hour, extended closure of US Route 101 (101 Freeway) to safely construct two arches over the freeway.

The closure begins on Friday. April 30th at 10 p.m. and extends through Monday May 3rd at 5 a.m.

Additional Work by Caltrans

The final 14 hours of the 55-hour closure will allow California Department of Transportation District 7 crews to perform multiple maintenance activities, including weed and graffiti removal, guard rail and sign repairs, pavement repairs and pothole filling. Also, a contractor will repair broken slabs in the southbound lanes.

Location of 55-Hour Closure

The closure will center around the eastside of the viaduct construction site in Boyle Heights, closing a 2.5-mile section of US Rte 101 from the 10/101 split to the 5/10/101 interchange just east of downtown Los Angeles. In addition, motorists travelling west on Rte 60 from the Pomona area will not be able to access US Rte 101.

Traffic detours will be as follows – SEE DETOUR MAP BELOW

When traveling N/B 5 from the Orange County area approaching the 5/10/101 Interchange:

• Exit to N/B 101 closed
• Exit to W/B 10 open
• Exit to N/B 5 open

Primary Detour: N/B 710 to W/B 10
Secondary Detour: W/B 10 to N/B 110

When traveling W/B 60 from the Pomona area approaching 5/10/101 Interchange:

• Exit to N/B 101 closed
• Exit to W/B 10 open
• Exit to N/B 5 open

Primary Detour: N/B 710 to W/B 10
Secondary Detour: W/B 10 to N/B 110

When traveling S/B 101 from the San Fernando Valley area approaching the 10/101 Split:

• Exit to S/B 101 closed
• E/B 10 open

Primary Detour: S/B 110 to E/B 10
Secondary Detour: E/B 10 to S/B 710

Concrete Arches

The Sixth Street Viaduct includes ten sets of LED-lit, color-changeable arches that will comprise the “Ribbon of Light” design. The arches are 10 feet wide, with a typical arch span of 300 feet. Each arch takes 260 cubic yards of concrete to construct or about 65 trucks of concrete. In order to keep the concrete cool enough, it is delivered to the site and then injected with liquid nitrogen to be close to ambient temperature. This reduces the potential for concrete cracking.

About the Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement Project

The Bureau of Engineering, under the leadership of City Engineer Gary Lee Moore and in partnership with the City's Bureau of Contract Administration, is leading the Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement Project to replace the original, seismically-deficient structure that was built in 1932. The new $588 million viaduct stretches between Boyle Heights and the Arts District and is the largest bridge project in the history of Los Angeles. It is funded by the Federal Highway Administration and the California Department of Transportation, as well as City funds Construction is led by contractors Skanska Stacy and Witbeck. The new viaduct is expected to be completed in Summer of 2022.

About the Bureau of Engineering

The Bureau of Engineering is the City's lead agency for the planning, design and construction management of public buildings, infrastructure and open space projects. Projects include municipal buildings, such as police and fire stations, convention centers, and recreational and cultural facilities, as well as bridges, street and transit projects, and stormwater and wastewater systems. Open space projects include the development of parks and the restoration of wetlands. Engineering also manages permitting for construction in the public right-of-way, as well as the City's state-of-the-art online mapping system. For more information, please visit http://bpw.lacity.org.

About L.A. City Department of Public Works

The Department of Public Works is comprised of five bureaus: Contract Administration, Engineering, Sanitation, Street Lighting, and Street Services, as well as the Offices of the Board, including the Offices of Community Beautification, Filming and Petroleum Administration. More than 5,500 employees are responsible for design, construction, renovation and operation of public projects ranging from bridges to wastewater treatment plants and libraries; curbside collection and graffiti removal; and maintenance of streets, sidewalks, sewers, streetlights and street trees. The Department is governed by the Board of Public Works (BPW), a five-member full-time executive team that is committed to delivering projects and programs that enhance quality of life, economic growth, public health and the environment to all Angelenos.

Media Contacts:
Mary Nemick, Director of Communications, Bureau of Engineering: Mary.Nemick@lacity.org
Lauren Wonder, Chief, Media and Public Affairs, Caltrans: Lauren.Wonder@dot.ca.gov