Los Angeles Unified Command Tips Hat to Our Communities

Los Angeles:  Public Safety attributes success of weekend freeway closure to the voluntary cooperation of the public.

The complete closure of the busiest freeway in the Nation presented a significant challenge for the City of Los Angeles.  The traffic experts from Caltrans and Metro were projecting 28 mile traffic jams and gridlock throughout the impacted area.  The unprecedented 10 mile closure of the 405 Freeway seemed a daunting task for the public safety community.  The question of how to divert nearly 350 thousand vehicles away from the 405 Freeway was the question.  The answer was clear but seemed highly unlikely, just ask the public to Avoid the Area.

The highly publicized; “Carmageddon” actually turned out to be “Carmaheaven” for those involved with public safety.  Thanks in part, to a very successful messaging campaign and comprehensive public outreach plan, the anticipated traffic nightmares were non-existent.  The creative use of social networking and the 405 Freeway Expansion Project, allowed the entire community to plan ahead, avoid the area or just stay home.  We would like to say thank you to the Los Angeles community for their participation in the weekend events, mainly, for their alternative planning and commitment to stay off the roads.