SAN FERNANDO VALLEY : Completion of Simi Freeway Repairs Put Off to Sept. 19

In a setback for northern San Fernando Valley commuters, reconstruction of the earthquake-damaged Simi Valley Freeway--originally scheduled for completion next week--will not be finished until Sept. 19, according to Caltrans.

Officials had expected to reopen all lanes of the bridges at San Fernando Mission Boulevard and Bull Creek next Tuesday after workers finished repairing the westbound side of the spans, which were considerably weakened in the Northridge earthquake. But a delay in starting the project and last-minute design changes pushed back the targeted completion date.

After the January temblor, the overpasses sagged nearly four feet in some spots. To handle traffic in the area, which currently averages about 180,000 vehicles daily, workers erected a detour that funneled traffic from both directions into the five lanes that used to carry only westbound traffic.

If construction is completed by Sept. 19, the three lanes of westbound traffic will be routed onto the new bridge immediately. But a full reopening of all 10 lanes of the freeway could take another 20 days, as originally planned.