5-Day Freeway Closure Begins In Los Angeles County Wednesday Night

IRWINDALE, CA — It's not Carmageddon — It's longer. Los Angeles County commuters will have to endure a five-day closure of the westbound Foothill (210) Freeway in Irwindale and lane reductions on the eastbound side, starting Wednesday night.

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 first 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.

This week's closure is planned to accommodate upgrades being made on the San Gabriel River Bridge.

Beginning at 11 p.m. Wednesday, the westbound freeway will be closed between Irwindale Avenue and the San Gabriel River (605) Freeway, with traffic re-routed onto the eastbound side of the road, which will be reconfigured to handle three lanes of traffic in each direction.

The reconfiguration will continue through 4 a.m. July 26.

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Caltrans warned motorists to expect delays and consider alternate routes, such as the 10 or 60 freeways, or public transportation on the Metro L Line (Gold) or Metrolink.

In addition to closing the westbound side of the freeway, ramps from the westbound 210 to Irwindale Avenue and to the southbound 605 Freeway will also be closed. Ramps from the 605 Freeway to the eastbound 210 Freeway will be blocked as well.

A second five-day closure on the eastbound side of the freeway is being planned for August.

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