Residents and commuters in the areas of Downey and Norwalk are bracing for a scheduled closure on the 605 Freeway this weekend, according to an announcement from Caltrans District 7. Starting Friday night and continuing until Monday morning, the southbound lanes of the 605 Freeway will see a cascade of closures, involving full southbound lane closures on Friday and Sunday nights, and partial lane closures throughout the weekend.
This fourth round of 55-hour extended closures, a part of the "Super 605 Freeway Corridor Improvement Project," aims to initially place k-rail and temporary striping, then finally remove these barriers and restripe the freeway. "All southbound lanes will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday to 4:01 a.m. Saturday," "Two southbound lanes will be open to traffic from 4:01 a.m. Saturday to 11 p.m. Sunday," "All southbound lanes will be closed again from 11 p.m. Sunday to 5:01 a.m. Monday," Caltrans told NBC Los Angeles.
The planned infrastructure overhaul is vastly anticipated to improve the busy corridor that serves more than 250,000 vehicles per day. Funding for the $260 million project is chiefly provided by the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, with additional finances sourced from Senate Bill 1, according to FOX LA.
As alternative routes, Caltrans has advised motorists to temporarily avoid the work zone, suggesting instead the use of the southbound Harbor (110) Freeway, the Long Beach (710) Freeway, and State Route 57 during the affected times. "Please drive through the construction zone with extreme caution and obey speed limits as we improve your freeway," Caltrans reminds drivers. With an additional 14 extended closures slated for various weekends into 2025, this represents just one phase in a series of planned disruptions intended to ultimately bring about long-term benefits to the flow of traffic in the region.
