The upcoming closure of the 405 freeway is expected to cause traffic nightmares of epic proportion, which will trickle down to Santa Monica. "Carmageddon" will likely cause an increase in injury accidents, not only on roadways immediately adjacent to the 405, but also in neighboring cities, including Santa Monica.
To allow for demolition of the Mulholland Drive bridge, the weekend of July 15 th - 17 th, there will be a 10-mile closure of the northbound 405, between the 10 freeway and the 101 freeway, and a 4-mile closure of the southbound 405, between the 101 and the Getty Center exit.
Government officials are encouraging everyone to stay home that weekend. For those that must venture out, they are being encouraged to use mass transportation like buses and the Metrolink.
Santa Monica has been gearing up for the freeway closure. The Santa Monica Police Department and Santa Monica city officials are working together to minimize the closure's impact on Santa Monica residents.
Lt. Ken Semko of the Santa Monica Police Department said, "We don't know what the effect will be like in Santa Monica, but we're taking steps to make sure that we have just about every contingency planned for." According to Lt. Semko, about 100 extra personnel who are not local residents will be housed in Santa Monica to be prepared for immediate mobilization should there be a crisis.
Santa Monica city officials are encouraging Santa Monica residents to stay local that weekend, and to eat, shop and play within a small radius of their homes.
Many Santa Monica businesses will be offering deals and discounts to Santa Monica residents. You can visit https://www.santamonica.com/visit-santa-monica/ for more information.
Expect more pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists to be using Santa Monica streets Carmageddon weekend. Frustrations will be high. People will be taking routes and modes of transportation that they are unaccustomed to. For that reason, there is expected to be an uptick in the number of pedestrian accidents, bicycle accidents, and motorcycle accidents in Santa Monica during Carmageddon weekend.
Our advice: stay home if you can. If you must venture out: stay alert! And if you need a Santa Monica personal injury attorney, we're here to help.