405 LANE DONE SOON?

Byline: Lisa Mascaro Staff Writer

Relief for the traffic-jammed northbound 405 Freeway into the San Fernando Valley has been delayed for a few more weeks because cold, wet weather is preventing crews from finishing work on a new lane, Caltrans officials said Tuesday.

The $10.9 million auxiliary lane from Mulholland Drive into Sherman Oaks had been expected to open by year's end, but crews need dry, 50-degree or warmer temperatures to complete the job.

The state now hopes to open the lane by the third week of January.

``It's conceivable it could be sooner; hopefully, it won't be later,'' said state Department of Transportation spokeswoman Judy Gish.

The auxiliary lane carved out of the San Diego Freeway's northbound shoulder is the first phase of a $50 million project to improve the 101-405 interchange, among the most jammed in the nation, with 500,000 daily drivers.

The lane, from Mulholland Drive to Greenleaf Avenue, is expected to boost capacity and eventually provide for smoother transition to the Ventura Freeway's eastbound connector once it's extended that far.

Other phases of the project include widening the eastbound connector to two lanes and building a new on-ramp at Greenleaf that will route drivers under the freeway if they're heading north on the 405 or to the right lane for the 101 ramp.

The new lane's opening had been expected earlier in 2002 - although no firm date had been set - but was pushed back once because crews discovered cracks in the new concrete that had to be sealed.

A new, year-end opening was then expected, but weather prevented crews from finishing up the work.

Caltrans said the overall job remains on schedule, and previously had said the cracked concrete problems were not the responsibility of the Sun Valley-based contractor doing the work.

Crews are now waiting for the first rain-free weekend - possibly this weekend - to do asphalt paving for the lane, Caltrans said.

Then they'll finish sealing up the cracked concrete, a job that is about half complete. That could be done the following weekend, the state said.

After that, the crews will finish up with painting the stripes on the lane, putting up the new signs and other final work, according to Caltrans.

``We have to have a combination of dryness and temperature,'' the spokeswoman said, adding it cannot be more than a couple of degrees below 50 to do the work.

``These are variables we can't really control,'' Gish said. ``We're going to hope for the best and hopefully get going this weekend.''

The 101-405 interchange project got under way following a series of Daily News stories five years ago that focused on the area as one of the worst hot spots for gridlock in the Valley.

The new lane project has been under construction since 2001. Work on the eastbound connector to the 101 is expected to be done by 2004.

At that time, work will begin on the final segment - the Greenleaf onramp just south of Ventura Boulevard - that would send motorists under the freeway to the northbound 405 or keep them in the right lane if they want the eastbound connector to the 101.

CLOSURE

One lane of the northbound San Diego (405) Freeway will be closed from just north of Mulholland Drive to the Valley Vista undercrossing as crews finish construction on a new auxiliary lane. The lane will be closed, 3 a.m. to noon Friday; 10 p.m. Saturday to 10 a.m. Sunday; and 3 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday.

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CLOSURE (see text)