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Bridge demolition will close 101 Freeway for 40 hours in February

The 101 Freeway will close for 40 hours in February so crews can demolish a portion of the 6th Street Viaduct.

The 101 Freeway will close for 40 hours in February so crews can demolish a portion of the 6th Street Viaduct.

(Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
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The 101 Freeway through downtown Los Angeles will be closed for two days at the beginning of February as construction crews demolish a portion of the 6th Street Viaduct, officials said Friday.

A chemical reaction inside the iconic 84-year-old bridge is causing it to slowly crumble, and crews have been working for months to begin the demolition process.

A portion of the bridge passes over the 101 and cannot be removed with traffic zooming underneath, officials said.

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The closure is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. Feb. 5 and is expected to last about 40 hours.

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The freeway will be closed from the interchange with the 10 Freeway, near Union Station, to the interchange with the 5 Freeway south of downtown. The onramp to the 101 from the westbound lanes of the 60 Freeway will also be closed.

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“We are encouraging drivers to plan ahead, expect delays and to follow detour signs to alternate freeways,” Carrie Bowen, director of Caltrans District 7, said in a prepared statement.

Construction on a $449-million replacement for the 6th Street Viaduct is expected to last until 2019.

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