5-Day Freeway Closure Begins In LA County; Major Delays Likely

IRWINDALE, CA — As anyone caught in the traffic nightmare created by the 5-day closure of the Foothill (210) Freeway last month will tell you: expect major delays now that the freeway is closing again for five more days.

The eastbound lanes will shut down completely beginning at 10 p.m. Wednesday through 5 a.m. Tuesday. The closures will take place between the San Gabriel River (605) Freeway and Irwindale Avenue, and traffic will be diverted onto the westbound freeway, which will be reconfigured to allow three lanes of traffic in each direction.

If it sounds like a headache, that's because it is.

Residents are better off considering alternate routes such as the 10 or 60 freeways, or public transportation on the Metro L Line (Gold) or Metrolink, according to Caltrans.

In other words: avoid the 210 Freeway for the next week.

The closure is expected to cause delays on the 210 Freeway as traffic is diverted to alternate routes, and nearby roads and freeways are like to be impacted as well. The freeway spans the San Gabriel Valley, and this week's closure is the second of two major 210 Freeway closures this summer as part of a $30 million project to upgrade the San Gabriel River Bridge by installing improved bridge hinges and railings and strengthening bridge decks, according to Caltrans.

In addition to closing the eastbound side of the freeway, ramps from the 605 Freeway to the eastbound 210 will be closed, along with the westbound 210 Irwindale Avenue onramps, the westbound 210 connector to the southbound 605 and the eastbound 210 Mount Olive Drive onramps, according to Caltrans.

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City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.