Segments of Fairfax, Beverly Glen to Be Closed Soon for Road Work

Motorists who use either of two major north-south thoroughfares at opposite ends of the Westside will have to find alternate routes because of road repairs scheduled through spring and summer.

Beginning Monday, a 3/4-mile stretch of Fairfax Avenue, just north of the Santa Monica Freeway, will be closed for six months while it is widened, city officials said.

Beginning June 20, Beverly Glen Boulevard between Mulholland Drive and Valley Vista Boulevard will be closed two months for resurfacing and storm drain improvements.

Traffic Improvement

The $1.58-million Fairfax Avenue project will widen the road by 10 to 16 feet from Sawyer Street to about 100 yards north of Saturn Street and will add a continuous left-turn lane. City officials said the improvements will ease traffic congestion on the heavily traveled road, which serves as a link between the Santa Monica Freeway and commercial areas to the north.

The segment of Fairfax Avenue to be repaired now ranges from 30 to 36 feet in width, while the rest of the street is at least 50 feet wide, city officials said. With the widening, that portion of the street will be 46 feet wide.

During construction, Fairfax Avenue will be closed to all traffic except residents who live along the work area. That means that 24,000 vehicles daily, including buses, will be detoured to other streets, primarily onto La Cienega Boulevard and Hauser Boulevard by way of Pico Boulevard to the north and Venice Boulevard to the south.

City traffic engineers said they expect the side streets to adequately handle the additional traffic. If problems arise, city officials said, parking on some of side streets may be prohibited while Fairfax is closed.

Homeowner Opposition

Homeowners along Fairfax Avenue had argued unsuccessfully that the project would destroy the residential character of their neighborhood by taking large chunks from city-owned parkways in front of their homes and by inviting more motorists to use Fairfax.

The Beverly Glen project is expected to affect about 2,300 vehicles that travel between the Westside and the San Fernando Valley during morning and evening peak hours. City officials said that during the two-month closure, motorists can use Sepulveda and Laurel Canyon boulevards, Coldwater Canyon Avenue or the San Diego Freeway.

Residents will be allowed in the construction area.

The $1.4-million storm drain project is designed to relieve flooding that occurs in the area during major storms, according to city officials. The resurfacing project will cost about $400,000.