What to Know
- A section of the 5 Freeway will be closed April 25-27 in Burbank
- The closure is for a bridge replacement project over the freeway
- Burbank Boulevard between San Fernando Boulevard and Front Street will be closed in both directions on March 14
Anyone who regularly drives the 5 Freeway through Burbank will want to set a calendar reminder for what will be one of the most significant freeway closures since the dreaded Carmageddon.
A 36-hour weekend closure of the road is schedule for April 25-27 as part of a project to demolish and replace the Burbank Boulevard bridge over the freeway, Caltrans announced Thursday.
Caltrans held a news conference in Burbank Thursday to give more details about the 5 Freeway closure.
It's an effort that also will require a long-term" street closure set to begin late next week.
Here's what to expect.
U.S. & World
Burbank Boulevard between San Fernando Boulevard and Front Street will be closed in both directions to vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians starting at 12:01 a.m. on March 14 and will reopen sometime in 2021.
The new bridge will be longer than the old one because the 5 Freeway is being widened to add carpool lanes in both directions. That also means more lanes on Burbank Boulevard, bicycle lanes in both directions and a wide sidewalk.
The 5 Freeway shutdown will likely be the largest freeway closure in the Los Angeles area since 10-mile sections of the 405 Freeway were closed during weekends in July 2011 and September 2012, dubbed "Carmageddon" 1 and 2.
Once the project is finished, the freeway will be straighter and wider from the 134 to 118 freeways. Drivers will have about 13 miles of carpool lanes.