Tunnel-Closing Tie-Ups Lighter Than Expected

Traffic tie-ups on the San Diego Freeway and other major thoroughfares linking the San Fernando Valley to the Los Angeles Basin were lighter than expected Monday when the Sepulveda Boulevard tunnel was closed to begin a scheduled six-week construction project.

Closure of the tunnel in the Sepulveda Pass forced diversion of traffic onto the parallel freeway and other routes. But state and city traffic-control officials said the resulting slowdown was not as bad as they had feared.

“I haven’t seen any big problems,” said California Highway Patrol spokesman Dave Grajeda. “I hope it stays this good.” Grajeda said there were no major accidents on the freeway, which helped keep traffic flowing.

Traffic-control officers on Beverly Glen Boulevard and Coldwater Canyon Avenue said traffic on those thoroughfares was only slightly heavier than usual. “We were expecting a big headache the whole week, getting people rerouted, but it hasn’t been that bad at all,” said one officer stationed on Coldwater Canyon Avenue.

However, some commuters complained about delays caused by the additional traffic on the San Diego Freeway. “It was really packed,” said Joe Bravo, 39, who drives to Sherman Oaks from Sylmar every day. “It was backed up all the way to Nordhoff.”

Late for Work

Renee Fossler, 33, said she was late for work at her job in Sherman Oaks on Monday because traffic on the Ventura Freeway was backed up as well. “It’s bad all the time,” she said, “but it was jammed today.”

State Department of Transportation officials said an estimated 260,000 commuters use the San Diego Freeway each day.

Guy Quinn, assistant general manager of the city Department of Transportation, said he expects traffic to pick up speed in the next few days as drivers become more aware of traffic problems caused by the construction work. “We expect it will get better as people make adjustments and look for alternate routes,” Quinn said.

On a typical weekday, an estimated 28,000 cars pass through the Sepulveda Boulevard tunnel, officials said.

Over the years, repaving inside the tunnel has raised the level of the road so high that the tops of large trucks sometimes scrape the roof, forcing them to drive in the center of the tunnel and making them a menace to oncoming vehicles. The tunnel, which runs beneath Mulholland Drive, was closed Saturday as work began to reduce the height of the pavement. The tunnel is scheduled to be closed until Sept. 30.

To prevent some traffic jams, city transportation officials last week passed out flyers to commuters along Sepulveda Boulevard, advising them to use alternative routes and to allow additional travel time, said Crystal Killian, an engineer with the city Department of Transportation.

Warning signs were posted above Sepulveda and Ventura boulevards alerting drivers approaching the southbound San Diego Freeway of the tunnel closure.

In addition, the city Department of Transportation on Monday sent out 26 additional traffic-control officers along Beverly Glen Boulevard and Coldwater Canyon Avenue, Killian said. A helicopter was used to alert the officers and traffic-signal adjustment crews to gridlocked intersections, she said.

Los Angeles police and CHP officials said that they had no plans to add extra officers during the construction, but that that could change.

“It was smooth today,” said CHP Sgt. Daniel Rodman. “But we never know what tomorrow holds.”