AAA Offers Tips to Survive 405 Closure

The impending  from Friday evening until early Monday morning will snarl traffic for miles, and Los Angeles city and county officials have pleaded with drivers to stay away from the freeway or face "Carmageddon."

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Nevertheless, for those who have to drive, the Automobile Association of Southern California has the following tips:

• Know that you'll hit traffic, so don't expect to drive anywhere quickly during the closure. Leave one, two, even three hours before you'll need to be somewhere. This way, you won't get stressed if you hit traffic.

• Stay relaxed during your drive—listen to music or books on tape.

• Don't get mad at other drivers; concentrate on your own driving. Don't text, read, Facebook or do anything else that could take your eyes off the road. You may cause a crash and snarl traffic further.

• If you can, stop, get out of the car and stretch. Take a break; grab lunch.

• Listen to the radio. Local stations will probably be running traffic updates all weekend. Before you leave, check out sites like sigalert.com or traffic.com to get real-time maps of where the worst spots are. Plan your trip accordingly.
   
  

A 10-mile section between the 10 Freeway and Highway 101 will be closed on the northbound 405 Freeway, while a four-mile section between Highway 101 and Getty Center Drive will be closed on the southbound side of the freeway.

The $1 billion project involves the demolition of the Mulholland Bridge to make way for the construction of a new, wider bridge and a carpool lane.

Ramps along the closure section will begin to shut down as early as 7 p.m. Friday, and the freeway lanes will begin to close at 10 p.m. to make sure the entire freeway is shut down by midnight.

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