Commuters on the 5 Freeway in Burbank experienced significant delays last Friday as both directions of the interstate were temporarily shut down due to police activity near Verdugo Avenue. According to KTLA, the Burbank Police Department responded to the scene shortly before 5:00 p.m., instigating a shutdown that led to a backup for miles, as documented by Sky5 footage.
The California Highway Patrol initially advised of an hour-long closure around 6 p.m., with traffic being diverted at Olive Avenue for northbound lanes and Burbank Boulevard for southbound lanes, as reported by ABC7. However, a post from CHP_LA_TRAFFIC later noted that a closure was expected to continue for an additional hour due to ongoing police activity.
SIGALERT UPDATE IN BURBANK: NB AND SB I-5 WILL BE CLOSED AT VERDUGO AVE FOR AN ADDITIONAL HOUR DUE TO POLICE ACTIVITY. NB I-5 WILL BE DIVERTED TO SR-134 AND SB I-5 WILL BE DIVERTED TO SR-170. EXPECT DELAYS AND DRIVE SAFELY. @CHPAltadena @CHPsouthern
— CHP_LA_TRAFFIC (@CHP_LA_TRAFFIC) May 10, 2025
During the shutdown, significant congestion was seen on both sides of the 5 Freeway.
Despite the inconvenience endured through an evening of delays and reroutes, the interruption eventually came to an end. A SigAlert was canceled at 7:38 p.m., and all lanes were reopened to traffic, as detailed by KTLA.
