Street Closures, Detours Begin for Convention

Steps to accommodate the transportation needs of the upcoming Democratic National Convention shift into high gear Monday with the closing of three freeway ramps and final steps in setting up detours around Staples Center.

The ramp closures are only the latest in a series of changes to hit downtown city streets in recent weeks, with more to come as the opening of the convention on Aug. 14 at the arena draws closer.

Partial street closures, detours and other changes are expected to continue almost daily until the gathering begins. Even now, intersections are jamming up with motorists fighting for an extra inch.

After encountering a tie-up at Broadway and 9th Street, several blocks from the outer perimeter of the Staples Center detour area, California Highway Patrol Sgt. Rhett S. Price said it was time to remind motorists to be courteous and stay out of intersections until they know they can make it to the other side before the light changes.

“Side streets are backing up because motorists are entering intersections on green but then find they can’t clear them by the time the light turns red,” Price said.

With the convention on the verge of spawning hundreds of buses, limos and news vans that will move thousands of delegates and members of the news media around the city--to say nothing of thousands of marchers and demonstrators who may lay siege to downtown streets--traffic problems will only get worse as the convention unfolds, authorities say.

Operators of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Blue Line light rail system and Red Line subway hope traffic snarls will lead to more ridership during the convention. The Blue Line runs to downtown from Long Beach. The Red Line serves downtown from the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood.

“We expect a lot of new customers and visitors will be using the rail system during the convention,” said Tom Conner, head of transit operations for MTA.

Conner said the agency will have four Blue Line and two Red Line trains standing by, ready to be pressed into service if needed.

Like other government agencies, the MTA is preparing to lay out the welcome mat for convention delegates. It has has been training special “ambassadors” to greet visitors and provide information about the bus and rail system.

As for regular customers, the MTA said it will run the same number of buses and keep regular daily schedules during the convention, but some bus lines serving downtown will have their routes changed because of detours around Staples.

Sometime Monday, Caltrans will begin a 14-day, 24-hour-a-day closure of the Pico Boulevard offramp and the 11th Street onramp to the northbound Harbor Freeway. In addition, the westbound Santa Monica Freeway’s Pico Boulevard offramp will be shut for the duration.

Caltrans said additional freeway ramps may have to be closed between the Santa Monica and Golden State freeways near downtown.

The Los Angeles Department of Transportation is finalizing detours designed to move buses and cars around the roughly 40-block residential and commercial area surrounding Staples Center. The area is bounded by Union Avenue on the west, Olympic Boulevard on the north, Hope Street on the east and Venice Boulevard on the south.

Initially the city wanted access to the 40 blocks to be restricted to local residents and businesses. The plan was to distribute special passes to those two groups within the detour zone. But a legal challenge forced traffic managers to back off and open the area to all.

Still, city traffic engineers say motorists driving through the area should heed detour signs. More than 120 of these signs, plus trailer-mounted changeable traffic signs, will be used to direct traffic around Staples.

High-Security Zone to Surround Staples

A far more restricted, high-security zone is being set up in the area immediately around the arena. Installation of a high fence is underway and will be completed by the end of the week.

Until the restricted zone is sealed off, some streets, like Flower and Figueroa, may remain open, but with only one lane. As of midnight Friday, those streets will be closed and remain shut until after the convention.

The Secret Service will allow only convention delegates and others with prior clearance in the restricted area, which will be bounded by Olympic on the north, Flower and Figueroa on the east, Venice Boulevard on the south and the Harbor Freeway on the west.

Several streets have already been turned into one-way thoroughfares or partially closed.

* Hope Street is now one way northbound between Venice and 8th Street.

* Venice Boulevard, from Figueroa to Hope, is now one-way eastbound.

* Flower is already closed from 11th to Pico, with the closure expected to extend to Venice by the end of the week.

* Georgia Street is closed between Olympic and 11th.

Most of the disruption--at least the predictable kind associated with the convention--will take place in the southern part of downtown south of 9th Street.

Difficulties created by marches and street demonstrations are expected and could tie up traffic over a much broader area.

As for the street scene, city traffic engineers say there is little they can do but wait and see what develops, then react accordingly.

Helping will be the timing of the daily activities of the convention. Daily sessions won’t begin until early afternoon, after the morning commute. They are expected to last until 8 p.m., so buses leaving Staples Center will miss the evening rush hour.

“Trafficwise, that will work in our favor,” said Tom Swire, a senior transportation engineer with the city Transportation Department.

Commuters with computers will be able to dial up several Web sites that will have convention-related traffic information. Motorists in the downtown area can tune their radios to 1630-AM for up-to-date traffic information.

Web sites that are available include Caltrans’ at https://www.dot.ca.gov/dist07. The main city Web site can be accessed by going to www.lacity.org and clicking on the DNC icon. The city also maintains trafficinfo.lacity.org, which has a special link for downtown traffic conditions, complete with color maps coded to show traffic conditions.

In addition, the city will operate a toll-free help line: (888) 356-4661. Another Web site, which tracked traffic in Philadelphia during the just-concluded Republican convention and is gearing up for Los Angeles, is www.smartraveler.com.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Convention Junction

Beginning Tuesday at 10 a.m., all through traffic will be rerouted around the boundaries indicated below. Essential vehicles, such as delivery trucks and emergency vehicles, will be allowed through. Affected streets are expected to return to full operation by Aug. 21.

*

FREEWAY RAMPS CLOSED BEGINNING MONDAY

* 110 Freeway northbound: Pico Boulevard offramp and 11th Street

onramp

* 10 Freeway westbound: Pico Boulevard offramp

Sources: Los Angeles Department of Transportation, City clerk’s office