Carmageddon! 405 Freeway Closure Video
Before the clock struck midnight, tempers flared as authorities stopped all traffic heading towards the interstate a bit earlier then planned. Some folks left their cars, while others took in the event as though it were a tourist attraction.
"The work is progressing, traffic is cooperating and it's moving freely this morning," California Department of Transportation Deputy Director of Maintenance and Operations Mike Miles said at a press conference this morning. "We're expecting it to start picking up as the morning progresses and people see there's not that much traffic out there."
We love nothing more than an apocalypse. But all of the hellish predictions have been falling flat, as Angelenos reported mystifying little traffic, and even joked it was the fastest commute of their lives. "The 405 was weirdly empty, but so were many of the side roads that officials had feared would be jammed as motorists searched for detours," the New York Times reports. "Carmagedon? More like Carmaheaven. No traffic in L.A.," tweeted Chip Dorsh, who said he breezed through a canyon road to get from his job in Culver City to the San Fernando Valley. He told the Associated Press, "When I left work, it was like a no man's land." Another woman told the Los Angeles Times of her 30-minute drive to LAX, "It was a breeze."
"Now is the hour ... we're asking all of you to cooperate," Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said.
"Carmageddon" has been the top of the evening news and the butt of jokes for late night comics.
"You won't be able to go anywhere on the 405, as opposed to when it's open and you can't go anywhere on the 405," Jay Leno said on "The Tonight Show."
It's a crisis perfectly suited to the LA zeitgeist, and LA drivers are taking it seriously. Many have decided to stay home, and aerial shots this morning show traffic quieter than it's been in years.
The event is big enough to lure actor Erik Estrada, who played a California highway motorcycle policeman on "CHiPs," out of retirement to star in a huge public service campaign.
We love nothing more than an apocalypse. But all of the hellish predictions have been falling flat, as Angelenos reported mystifying little traffic, and even joked it was the fastest commute of their lives. "The 405 was weirdly empty, but so were many of the side roads that officials had feared would be jammed as motorists searched for detours," the New York Times reports. "Carmagedon? More like Carmaheaven. No traffic in L.A.," tweeted Chip Dorsh, who said he breezed through a canyon road to get from his job in Culver City to the San Fernando Valley. He told the Associated Press, "When I left work, it was like a no man's land." Another woman told the Los Angeles Times of her 30-minute drive to LAX, "It was a breeze."
"Now is the hour ... we're asking all of you to cooperate," Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said.
"Carmageddon" has been the top of the evening news and the butt of jokes for late night comics.
"You won't be able to go anywhere on the 405, as opposed to when it's open and you can't go anywhere on the 405," Jay Leno said on "The Tonight Show."
It's a crisis perfectly suited to the LA zeitgeist, and LA drivers are taking it seriously. Many have decided to stay home, and aerial shots this morning show traffic quieter than it's been in years.
The event is big enough to lure actor Erik Estrada, who played a California highway motorcycle policeman on "CHiPs," out of retirement to star in a huge public service campaign.
