There will be major closures along the 110 freeway this weekend, including an overnight shutdown in both directions between the 10 interchange and Exposition Boulevard.
Traffic will be impacted starting Friday night through Sunday. City and transportation officials are encouraging people to use public transit, plan ahead, or simply avoid the downtown L.A. area.
The closures will allow Caltrans crews to demolish a damaged pedestrian bridge.
The work begins Friday night to remove the portion of the bridge over Adams Boulevard.
Crews will start closing all of the on-ramps to the southbound 110 freeway, as well as the eastbound and westbound connectors from the 10 freeway, as early as 7 p.m., Yang said.
The southbound 110 freeway will be limited to one lane between the 10 freeway and Exposition Boulevard as of 11 p.m., and they will remain closed until around 7 or 8 a.m. Saturday morning.
Drivers will still be able to access the express lane during this time, which starts south of the closures.
“Saturday night is when you should expect the most significant traffic impacts,” Yang said.
All southbound lanes between the 10 freeway and Exposition Boulevard will be fully closed, as will the northbound lanes between Washington Boulevard and Adams Boulevard.
Crews are expected to begin shutting down on-ramps and connectors as early as 9 p.m., with the full freeway closures starting at 11 p.m.
All lanes are expected to reopen by 8 a.m. Sunday.
The southbound off-ramp to Adams Boulevard, which will be closed all weekend, is expected to reopen by 8 p.m. Sunday.
However, as with any construction project, the schedule could change.
If you are driving on the 110 freeway during these closures, you will be diverted onto local roads with posted detour signs.
Laura Rubio-Cornejo, the general manager of LADOT, said more than 100 traffic officers and supervisors will be out in the streets this weekend to assist with any congestion or safety concerns.
She said traffic engineers will also be continually monitoring the conditions and making adjustments as needed.
If you are traveling from the 110 northbound to either the 10 east or the 10 west, you should exit at Adams Boulevard. You’ll then take Adams Boulevard to Hoover Street, and enter the 10 freeway from there.
If you’re traveling northbound on the 110 freeway and want to continue past the closure, you should also exit at Adams Boulevard. You’ll take that north to Figueroa Street, and head to Washington Boulevard. You’ll be able to reenter the 110 north at the interchange.
If you’re heading southbound on the 110 freeway, you’ll still be able to connect to the eastbound and westbound 10 freeway through the interchange.
If you need to continue southbound past the closure, you should transfer to the eastbound 10 freeway and exit on Hill Street. Head southbound on Hill Street until you reach Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, you’ll be able to get back on the 110 freeway near the intersection with Flower Street.
If you’re heading from the westside of the city on the eastbound 10 freeway and need to get onto the southbound 110 freeway, exit at Hoover Street. Take Hoover Street south to Jefferson Boulevard, and then take Jefferson Boulevard east until you hit Flower Street. You’ll follow Flower Street to Exposition Boulevard and get on the southbound 110 freeway there.
Finally, if you’re traveling from the east side of the city on the westbound 10 freeway and need to transfer to the southbound 110 freeway, exit at the interchange to Pico Boulevard. Take Pico Boulevard east until Flower Street, and then head down to Exposition Boulevard to get on the southbound 110 freeway.
Randall Winston, the city’s deputy mayor of infrastructure, said Caltrans has already posted guidance signs that are visible from nearby major highways.
“Our message is clear — plan ahead, and follow the guidance on the electronic signs posted on the freeways,” said Randall Winston, the city’s deputy mayor of infrastructure.
Jennifer Vides, the chief customer experience officer for LA Metro, encouraged people to use public transit if they need to get in and around downtown this weekend.
The rail lines will run until around 12:30 a.m., and service starts back up again at 4 a.m.
The bus lines, including line 45 on Broadway and line two on Alvarado Street, operate 24 hours a day in the downtown and central parts of the city.
The J line, also known as the silver line, also operates around the clock and can connect you from the South Bay to downtown L.A. and El Monte.
However, some Metro bus services will also have to detour around the closures, including the J line, 910, and the Disneyland 460. Vides recommends giving yourself extra time if you need to take any of those lines.
You can also always check metro.net for the most up-to-date schedules.
“We've proved previously that we can manage freeway closures effectively in Los Angeles County, and let's do it again this weekend,” Vides said.
John Yang, the deputy district director for construction with Caltrans District 7, said that a pedestrian bridge at 21st Street needs to be demolished.
The bridge has been out of commission for a couple of decades, but Yang said it’s been damaged since it was hit by a crane in 2020.
Despite being safe to stand on, the bridge was marked for demolition since. Yang said that closing parts of the freeway is the only way to bring it down safely.
Crews will be covering lanes with about 2 to 4 feet of dirt to protect the lanes below, he said, and the bridge will be taken apart piece by piece.
Most of the closures will be contained to the overnight hours when there are fewer people on the road, but Yang added that this area of L.A. sees a lot of traffic all hours of the day.
