Ventura Freeway Project Pauses for July 4 Weekend

Construction on the Ventura Freeway in the west San Fernando Valley will be suspended over the three-day Fourth of July holiday weekend, officials said.

Three of the four westbound lanes between White Oak and Canoga avenues have been closed from midnight to 11 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays since June 18 as part of a massive freeway widening project.

Richard Paul, an assistant senior engineer for the state Department of Transportation, said that construction will resume next weekend. Paul said that traffic has been flowing smoothly since work was stepped up on the 16-month, $18.3-million project two weeks ago.

Workers have been replacing concrete bridge-approach slabs during the weekend closures, Paul said.

The westbound closures will continue through the end of July, when work is expected to start on the bridges of the eastbound lanes, Paul said.

Massive traffic jams had been predicted when the bridge work began, but they never materialized. Officials attributed the lack of congestion to careful planning and public cooperation.

The city adjusted traffic signals to allow longer green lights for those taking Ventura Boulevard as an alternative route. Traffic control officers also were stationed at designated off-ramps to help direct drivers to alternative routes.

Paul said public cooperation has been the biggest contributing factor in the smooth flow of traffic.

“It’s the same kind of cooperation that took place during the Olympics,” he said. “It’s worked out real well.”