Carmageddon in Los Angeles: The closure of the 405

Escorted by the California Highway Patrol, the first cars head southbound under the Mulholland Drive bridge.   (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa appears with other officials at a venue overlooking the work site to announce that the 405 Freeway will reopen about 17 hours early.   (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

A worker removes debris that could fall on the freeway below as crews finish clean-up and inspection.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Crews clean dirt and debris from the 405 Freeway after the demolition project on the Mulholland Drive bridge is completed.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

With the power of three battering rams, the western pillar of the bridge is knocked down.  (Arkasha Stevenson / Los Angeles Times)

Demolition work on the Mulholland Drive bridge continues in the early morning hours Sunday.  (Arkasha Stevenson / Los Angeles Times)

An aerial view of the empty 405 freeway as construction continues on the Mulholland bridge.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

People clad in CalTrans orange spell out 405 in a park near the Mulholland bridge.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

A ten mile portion of the The 405 freeway remains closed while work continues on the demolition of the Mulholland Bridge.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

About noon Saturday, demolition of the Mulholland Drive bridge continues.  (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

Shiho Nakaza holds a sketch she made of the 405 Freeway at the Sunset Boulevard bridge.  (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

Rod Liber holds daughter Samantha, 3, as Ava Liber covers her eyes at the Sunset Boulevard bridge over the 405 on Saturday.  (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

Members of the media tour a section of the closed portion of the 405 Freeway.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

The view looking south from the 17th floor of the Angeleno Hotel at Sunset Boulevard shows a deserted stretch of the 405 freeway along part of the closure area.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

LAPD officer Jason Azpeitia takes a picture with his cellphone of the deserted 405 Freeway looking north from the Sunset Boulevard bridge.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

The 405 Freeway as seen from the 17th floor of the Angeleno Hotel at Sunset Boulevard.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

The view south of an empty 405 Freeway on Saturday as workers remove part of the Mulholland Drive bridge.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Bel Air resident Noreen Shortway has her picture taken by a friend on the Sunset Boulevard bridge with the deserted 405 freeway behind her.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Just after midnight, work begins to raze the southern section of the Mulholland Drive bridge over the Freeway 405 Saturday morning.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

A construction crew member walks on a blanket of dirt spread over the 405 Freeway.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Dirt is spread under the bridge to protect the 405 Freeway from falling debris.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Damir Loretic a photojournalist with CNN, starts setting up Friday morning near the Mulholland Drive bridge.   (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

A crew closes the Skirball Center Drive onramp to the northbound 405 Freeway in preparation for the Mulholland Drive bridge work.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Pedestrians cross Sherman Oaks Avenue minutes after the 405 onramp was closed at 7 p.m. Friday.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Ralph Lopez greets guests for a KFI radio event hosted by Tim Conway Jr. celebrating “Carmageddon” at the Sherman Oaks Marriott Courtyard hotel, near the 405 and 101 freeways.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Daniel Rojo, right, and Felix Jaquez man the registration table for a KFI radio event near the 405 and 101 freeways.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Rodney Brown, 47, of Silver Lake plays freeway closure music, “Much Hoo-Doo About Nothing,” at the closed Skirball Center Drive onramp on Friday evening.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Traffic control personnel block the southbound 405 onramp at Ventura Boulevard and Sherman Oaks Avenue on Friday evening.  (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Kenny Stephens of Kiewit Infrastructure West Co. carries a bundle of fencing material as workers prepare the southern half of Mulholland Drive bridge for overnight demolition work.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Adam Kessel, left, and Glen Greenberg hawk “Carmaggedon 405” T-shirts for $10 apiece at the corner of Ventura and Van Nuys boulevards. A dollar from each sale is to be donated to the Make-a-Wish Foundation.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Actor David Caruso buys five “Carmaggedon 405” T-shirts at the corner of Ventura and Van Nuys boulevards.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)