Los Angeles is known for its Mediterranean climate, ethnic and cultural diversity, Hollywood film industry, and sprawling metropolitan area. It has a population of roughly 3.9 million as of 2020, and is the second largest city in the United States after New York City. 'The Angels'), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the U.S. Los Angeles ( US: / l ɔː s ˈ æ n dʒ əl ə s/ ( listen) lawss AN-jəl-əs Spanish: Los Ángeles, lit. Simpson, then suspected in the murder of his ex-wife, in June 1994. for the widely televised low-speed police chase of O.J. interstate route that runs from Irvine, California, north to the Mission Hills district of Los Angeles, is perhaps best known outside L.A. The canyon pass is a traffic choke point even without a construction project, as it serves as a north-south gateway from the city’s sizzling hot San Fernando Valley to several beaches and the more temperate westside. The stretch of the 405 Freeway that will be closed, known locally as the Sepulveda Pass, is traversed by about 500,000 vehicles on a typical summer weekend, said Marc Littman, a spokesman for Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), an agency handling the project. travelers fearful of missing pre-booked airline flights to more distant destinations.įor those seeking a more casual bird’s eye view of the traffic carnage, and the dose of schadenfreude that goes with it, Adventure Helicopter Tours is offering 45-minute flights over the area, complete with champagne, for $400 per couple. Their main message: Stay away, or at least stay off the roads.Īs Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa once predicted, “It will be an absolute nightmare.”Ĭharter helicopter companies are selling air “taxi” service to Los Angeles International Airport for well-heeled L.A. This being Hollywood, officials have recruited several celebrities to warn motorists of the impending gridlock, including pop star Lady Gaga, newly cast “Two and a Half Men” star Ashton Kutcher and “CHiPs” actor Erik Estrada.
Traffic los angeles free#
And L.A.’s public transit agency will provide free service on 26 bus lines and three of its five light-rail lines. In a sign that few motorists in America’s second-largest city take a breezy attitude toward the closure, Los Angeles plans to open its emergency operations center over the weekend. The unprecedented 53-hour shutdown, expected to delay motorists for hours on alternate routes with ripple effects on about a dozen other major highways, will allow crews to demolish a bridge as part of a $1 billion freeway-widening project. “Carmageddon” is the name Los Angeles residents are giving the inevitable and likely epic traffic tie-up that will result when a 10-mile stretch of the 405 Freeway is closed for construction from Friday night to Monday morning between two of the nation’s busiest interchanges.
Traffic is seen on the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles, California July 14, 2011.