First of 9 Weekend Freeway Closures Begins on the 710

LOS ANGELES, CA - Some motorists in the East Los Angeles area will have to cope with detours and traffic delays this weekend as a wide-scale pavement-replacement project prompts the first of nine planned 54-hour closures on the northbound Long Beach (710) Freeway, beginning tonight.

According to Caltrans, the northbound 710 will be closed between the Santa Ana (5) and Pomona (60) freeways from 10 p.m. today until 4 a.m. Monday. The closure will be repeated each successive weekend, with the exception of the weekends of Oct. 7-10, Oct. 28-31, Nov. 11-14 and Nov. 25-28.

Caltrans officials urged motorists to avoid the area and use the Harbor (110) or San Gabriel River (605) freeways as alternates.

Crews will be placing a series of concrete slabs as part of the pavement- replacement project. According to Caltrans, crews will install as many as 90 concrete panels on the roadway each weekend, with the panels ranging in size from 14 to 47 feet wide.

The work is part of a $120 million pavement-replacement project on the 710 Freeway between the Century (105) and San Bernardino (10) freeways. The project is expected to be completed next year, according to Caltrans.

City News Service; Photo: Shutterstock