Hearing Set on 405-101 Interchange

A public hearing will be held Thursday evening on a plan to significantly upgrade the interchange at the San Diego and Ventura freeways, Caltrans said.

A team of Caltrans officials will present the environmental impact study for the two-phase project, Caltrans spokesman Joe Brazile Jr. said.

The tentative construction schedule also will be discussed, he said.

The two phases call for widening the connector from the northbound San Diego Freeway to the southbound Ventura Freeway, and widening the northbound San Diego Freeway from Greenleaf Street to Ventura Boulevard.

As part of the construction, Brazile said there will be some sound wall construction, landscape work and also possible right of way issues.

The meeting is expected to draw a large crowd, as commuters have complained for decades about gridlock at the interchange.

“The room is set up for 300 people, and we’ve sent over 300 notices to residents and local businesses in the area,” Brazile said.

Five Caltrans divisions--design, traffic, right of way, environmental affairs and public affairs--will be represented at the meeting, he said.

The hearing will be from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Radisson Valley Center Hotel, 15433 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks. It will be in the Castilian Ballroom on the fourth floor.