i-5 Los Angeles Traffic News Blog

i-5 Los Angeles News Blog ...

> "Smart studs" to control traffic flow at busy interchange ... July 31/09
A little bit of the future is coming to Los Angeles freeways later this year in the form of "smart" road studs that gauge road conditions and traffic flow and open and close a freeway lane accordingly. Caltrans has contracted with a New Zealand company to pilot the "dynamic-lane" system on the 110 Freeway where traffic backs up in a tunnel at the single-lane connector to northbound Interstate 5. At peak hours, the "smart studs" would illuminate to automatically open a second connector lane on the 110, easing the long lines... cont...

> Deputies reel in alleged car thief and his seafood on i-5 ... July 23/09
Sheriff's deputies on Wednesday arrested a man near Castaic who was driving a stolen car loaded with 400 pounds of frozen seafood, along with burglary tools and methamphetamine, authorities said. Robert Bradford, 24, was booked on suspicion of grand theft auto, receiving stolen property, possession of methamphetamine for sale and possession of burglary tools, said Lt. Mark Hershey. About 6:30 a.m., Bradford was driving a Lexus northbound on Interstate 5... cont...

> 2 Brush Fires Near 5 Freeway in Castaic Fully Contained ... July 18/09
Firefighters have completely contained a 55-acre brush fire in Castaic, as well as a fire sparked when a bus broke out in flames in the same area, fire officials say. A brush fire burning near the Golden State (5) Freeway at Sloan Canyon Road was completely surrounded early Saturday, according to County Fire Dispatcher Brenden Peart. Patrols will likely be in place throughout the day Saturday "mopping up" in the fire's wake, Peart said... cont...

> Pyramid Lake fire fully contained ... July 15/09
Firefighters today fully contained a brush fire that scorched 304 acres of steep terrain in the Angeles National Forest near Pyramid Lake. Firefighters were sent to the rugged, unpopulated area near the northbound Golden State (5) Freeway and Vista del Lago about 12:15 p.m. Monday, amid temperatures of about 100 degrees... cont...

> 5 Freeway slims as firefighters keep blaze dormant ... July 14/09
Two lanes on Interstate 5 north of Castaic remained closed Tuesday night as firefighters tried to make sure a weakened 288-acre blaze near Pyramid Lake didn’t spring back to life, a U.S National Forest spokeswoman said. The Osito Fire, which charred light grass and brush southeast of the Vista Del Lago exit on the I-5, had no active flames Tuesday afternoon, spokeswoman Dee Deckert said. But firefighters remained parked on the two right lanes of the northbound I-5 since the fire began Monday afternoon... cont...

> US wildfire reaches Interstate 5 near Los Angeles ... July 14/09
A California wildfire has reached Interstate 5, just 40 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. The fire has burned 400 acres of grassland in the Angeles National Forest, and continues to blaze in the Pyramid Lake area. According to the forest spokeswoman Dee Dechert, the fire is 50 percent contained, but it has damaged Southern California Edison power lines, causing traffic jams... cont...

> Wildfire burns near Castaic near Interstate 5 ... two lanes closed... July 13/09
A fire that has burned more than 100 acres of brush near Interstate 5 has jammed the partially closed freeway. Los Angeles County fire officials say the blaze was reported at around 12:15 p.m. Monday off the freeway near Pyramid Lake. Two northbound lanes have been closed so fire trucks can park there. The fire is burning near power lines but fire officials say there are no homes nearby and no injuries have been reported.... cont...

> Southern California bracing for fire season ... July 13/09
The fire season may have gotten off to a slow start in June, but it's starting to flare up now in Southern California, where temperatures today could reach 100 degrees and above in some valleys. Conditions elsewhere are expected to be mostly warm and sunny. The fire danger level for the Angeles National Forest was raised Sunday from high to very high.... cont...

> LADOT Releases Michael Jackson Funeral Traffic Plan ... July 7/09
Anticipating huge public demand for Michael Jackson's funeral service the Los Angeles Department of Public Transportation has released Michael Jackson's funeral traffic plan. The funeral service starts this morning at 10 AM PST at the Staple's Center in Los Angeles. Due to the memorial event for Michael Jackson on Tuesday, July 07, 2009, LADOT anticipates route closures and substantial delays due to congestion... cont...

> Freeway ramps to close for Michael Jackson events ... July 6/09
The California Department of Transportation will close several freeway ramps in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday to ease traffic congestion during the Michael Jackson memorial event. Two ramps to the 110 Freeway will be closed -- the southbound ramp at Olympic Boulevard and the northbound Pico Boulevard ramp. The 134 Freeway will see closures as well. The eastbound Riverside Drive and Forest Lawn Drive ramp will be closed, as will the westbound Forest Lawn Drive ramp. Officials warn that additional ramps may be closed if needed... cont...

> Phase 2 Nearly Complete At Magic Mountain Parkway Interchange ... July 4/09
The City of Santa Clarita released the following statement regarding the Magic Mountain Parkway / I-5 Interchange; After three years in construction beginning in June 2006, the Interchange Improvements, Phase 2, will be final in July 2009... cont...

> i-5 Brushfire Under Investigation ... July 3/09
U.S. National Forest officials said they were investigating the cause of a brush fire that charred 75 acres and shut down Interstate 5 near Castaic Wednesday. The blaze began about 4:40 p.m. Wednesday near Templin Highway in the Angeles National Forest north of Castaic. “This is the fourth year of very low rainfall (and) this is the largest fire in our forest this year... cont...

> Fire Near Freeway in Castaic Fully Contained ... July 2/09
A suspicious fire that charred some 75 acres and forced the closure of northbound Interstate 5 near Castaic is fully contained. The fire was reported in the Angeles National Forest just before 5:00 p.m. Wednesday in an area just east of the Golden State (5) Freeway, said Inspector Steve Zermeno of the Los Angeles County Fire Department... cont...

> Firefighters battle fire near I-5, suspect arson ... July 1/09
Fire officials say a suspected arson fire that burned 75 acres in the Angeles National Forest near Castaic is now 50% contained. It's expected to be fully surrounded by tomorrow. The blaze was reported shortly before 4:50 this afternoon off northbound Interstate 5... cont...

> Interstate 5 lanes closed as brush fire burns near Castaic ... July 1/09
A suspected arson fire consumed about 25 acres of brush in U.S. Forest Service land north of Castaic, prompting closure of northbound lanes of Interstate 5 at rush hour today, a Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman said. No structures were threatened or evacuations ordered, said Inspector Steve Zermeno... cont...

> EPA Pinpoints Neighborhood along i-5 with Highest Cancer Risk from Air Pollution ... June 26/09
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, any community that averages less than 100 cases of cancer for every 1 million people is doing okay. Once the rate goes above a hundred, EPA considers the situation unacceptable. Which begs the question: What would EPA call the status of a neighborhood in Cerritos, CA, that has a cancer risk of 1,200? Alarming? The area in question in Cerritos is an industrial zone bordered by Interstate 5 and Alondra and Artesia boulevards... cont...

> Lebec Northbound Interstate 5 Ramp and Rest Stop Changes for Six Weeks ... June 25/09
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is currently conducting a pavement rehabilitation project on northbound Interstate 5 in Kern County near the Los Angeles County line to the Grapevine Creek Bridge. To reduce the impact to motorists, the majority of the work will occur at night. Lane closures will be necessary to safely reconstruct and replace deteriorated concrete panels on the northbound Interstate 5 outside travel lane and grind and resurface the three adjacent lanes with rubberized asphalt on the 10-mile segment of Interstate 5... cont...

> I-5/Magic Mountain Parkway off-ramp now officially open ... June 2/09
The newly widened northbound off-ramp at the Interstate 5/Magic Mountain Parkway interchange is now open. The off-ramp officially opened on Friday, June 19 and had been closed to traffic since May 31 for Phase II of the city's I-5/Magic Mountain Interchange project... cont...

> Dodgers have edge over Angels in Freeway Series ... June 22/09
In what could be a World Series preview, the Angels host the Dodgers in the second installment of their 2009 Freeway Series, this set at the Big A in Anaheim. The Dodgers and Angels meet in the Freeway Series tonight in Anaheim and you can expect runs to be at a premium... cont...

> Big rig jackknifes on I-5 in San Fernando Valley ... June 17/09
A tractor trailer has jackknifed and collided with four other cars on Interstate 5 in the San Fernando Valley, blocking all southbound lanes. Los Angeles city fire spokeswoman d'Lisa Davies says the accident happened at about Wednesday night in the Sunland neighborhood. The big rig's fuel tank was punctured in the crash and is leaking gas into a storm drain... cont...

> Big rig crashes on I-5, blocks 3 lanes in Burbank ... June 16/09
A big rig has crashed into the center divider of Interstate 5 in Burbank and blocked several lanes in each direction. California Highway Patrol officials say diesel fuel, debris and vehicles were blocking three of four southbound lanes and one northbound lane Tuesday afternoon... cont...

> Man wanted in Kansas barricaded in California motel ... June 11/09
Southern California authorities say a man wanted on a murder warrant in Kansas has barricaded himself inside a motel room in the mountain town of Gorman and is refusing to surrender. Pedroza says the incident began Thursday morning when a California Highway Patrol officer checked the license plate of a car parked in Gorman, on Interstate 5 about 60 miles north of downtown Los Angeles... cont...