Portions of Interstate 405 have already opened, and traffic is now flowing south- and northbound on the freeway that was closed since Friday evening.
The contractors finished the job hours earlier than anticipated, perhaps goaded to do so by incentive pay. The freeway was closed so half of the Mulholland Drive bridge could be demolished.
It was thought that the two-day closure of the 405 would cause massive backups of traffic on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu as well as on canyon roads, and authorities urged Malibu residents to stay home the entire weekend. Employees at some local businesses left work early Friday, or stayed home the entire day because of the warnings that traffic problems could occur as early as rush hour on Friday. However, the dire predictions of what was dubbed “Carmageddon” did not come to fruition, as the public throughout Los Angeles and beyond heeded warnings and either used public transportation, or stayed home.
A drive on Saturday through Kanan Dume Road from the 101 Freeway to the PCH and up to Zuma, showed clear traffic the entire route. Beach visitors were sparse at Zuma.
—Laura Tate