Quantcast

Carmageddon: Los Angeles Braces For Carmageddon

California Carmageddon
This June 6, 2011 file photo shows the Mulholland Drive bridge over Interstate 405, which crosses the Santa Monica Mountains connecting the San Fernando Valley and the Westside of Los Angeles. Beginning Friday evening, authorities will begin shutting down a 10-mile segment of the freeway for 53 hours so crews can demolish one side of the Mulholland Drive Bridge as part of a $1 billion highway improvement project. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)
40525f92b2eae90ff20e6a7067009a26
This June 6, 2011 file photo shows the Mulholland Drive bridge over Interstate 405, which crosses the Santa Monica Mountains connecting the San Fernando Valley and the Westside of Los Angeles. Beginning Friday evening, authorities will begin shutting down a 10-mile segment of the freeway for 53 hours so crews can demolish one side of the Mulholland Drive Bridge as part of a $1 billion highway improvement project. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)

One of America’s busiest highways is being shutdown, sparking serious commuting woes and a racewar between a major airline and a group of bike riders.

Interstate 405 in California will be closed for 53 hours starting on July 16. The highway, which experiences about a half million visitors on any given summer weekend, will undergo construction as the Mulholland Bridge is demolished right above it. The shutdown will reportedly cause such a catastrophe that it is being dubbed Carmageddon.

Jetblue has taken advantage of the opportunity to offer $4 flights while Wolfpack Hustle, a group of bike riders, will attempt to race the airline to each destination.

The airline company is offering a 45-minute flight from Los Angeles’ Long Beach Airport to Bob Hope Airport. They offered four separate flights which sold out in only 2 hours, notes Reuters. A total of 600 people will get to benefit from the promotion.

The shutdown is part of the one billion dollar project to widen the highway so that more traffic can pass through.

They will begin closing the highway Friday night and slowly close lane by lane until the entire 10 mile stretch is officially secured by midnight, explains CBS.

Officials have been preparing for the closure by getting the word out with flashing signs. A-list celebrities like Adam Levine and Ashton Kutcher have taken to Twitter and Facebook to talk about the closure.

Carmageddon is thought to amount in endless traffic but most officials think that although there will be some gridlock areas the weekend will not turn into the catastrophic event most have anticipated.

The Los Angeles Daily News has offered some tips for locals to survive California’s famed judgment day, which mostly involves staying indoors. Redbox is giving Californians a 50 percent discount on movies to keep them busy while other businesses hope to cash in by offering special deals and two-for-one specials.