Beware, commuters on northbound 710
Lanes will be closed on 8 more weekends through December.
It doesn’t have a catchy name or a music video, but a plan to close the 710 Freeway in East Los Angeles over eight weekends is sure to cause headaches for drivers all the same.
The northbound lanes of the 710 from the 5 to the 60 freeways will be shut down from 10 p.m. Fridays until 4 a.m. Mondays as crews work on a pavement-replacement project, according to Caltrans.
The work began last weekend, and similar closures will be repeated through mid-December, except for the weekends of Oct. 7-10, Oct. 28-31, Nov. 11-14 and Nov. 25-28. The last weekend closure will occur Dec. 16-19, according to Caltrans.
Lauren Wonder, spokeswoman for Caltrans District 7, said the work last weekend went smoothly. Her advice for drivers: “Be zen on the 710.”
Wonder said drivers should avoid the closed area and instead use the 110 or 605 freeways. The local-street detour for motorists headed to East Los Angeles will follow Olympic Boulevard and Eastern Avenue, she said.
The connector between the northbound 710 and northbound 5 freeways will remain open. Each weekend, crews will install up to 90 concrete panels, 14 to 47 feet wide, according to Caltrans. The work is part of a $120million pavement-replacement project on the 710. Crews also will upgrade the median barrier and construct maintenance pullouts to enhance safety for maintenance crews. The work is expected to be completed by next year.