Pomona (60) Freeway opens to traffic; partial closures Sunday to Tuesday

Posted Dec 17, 2011 by in Service Alerts, Transportation News
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All lanes of the Pomona (60) Freeway were reopened to traffic today. Westbound lanes were opened at 11:05 a.m., and eastbound lanes were reopened at 3:15 p.m., according to a news advisory issued by Caltrans. Partial closures on Sunday to Tuesday will be necessary to complete the demolition of a section of the Paramount Boulevard bridge that remains over the westbound lanes. Earlier in the day, Caltrans officials had said both directions would not reopen until Sunday evening.

See previous posts for transit options and the detour map.
Here’s the news release issued by Caltrans:

Update on SR-60 Reopening and Bridge Demolition

Montebello — The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
opened the westbound Pomona Freeway (SR-60) at approximately 11:15
a.m.  Eastbound SR-60 open at 3:15 p.m. today.

The demolition of the remaining bridge section above westbound SR-60
will occur between 11 p.m and 5 a.m. from Sunday, December 18 to
Tuesday, December 20.  Up to two lanes of the eastbound SR-60 will be
closed and the westbound SR-60 will be entirely closed between I-605
and Garfield for this operation.

Update: Pomona (60) Freeway Reopening

Posted Dec 17, 2011 by in Service Alerts
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UPDATE (issued by Caltrans 4:34 p.m.) — Montebello — The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) opened the westbound Pomona Freeway (SR-60) at approximately 11:15 a.m.  Eastbound SR-60 open at 3:15 p.m. today.

UPDATE (issued by Caltrans at 1 p.m.) — The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) opened the westbound Pomona Freeway (SR-60) at approximately 11:15 a.m. Construction crews are repairing fire damaged sections of roadway on eastbound SR-60. It is expected that eastbound lanes will open to traffic on Saturday, December 17 by 5 p.m.

Community Detour Map for SR-60 closure

Caltrans has issued a detour map to help the community navigate around the closure of SR-60 this weekend. The map points to routes to the hospital, the alternate route to Paramount Boulevard, and ways for shoppers to access Montebello Town Center. Click on image to view map at full size.

Sunday is now the estimated re-opening time for the Pomona (60) Freeway. See previous post for transit options. Here is the news release issued by Caltrans this morning.

Update on SR-60 Reopening and Bridge Demolition

Montebello — The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is
working to re-open both directions of the Pomona Freeway (SR-60) to traffic
by Sunday evening, December 19.  Closures are subject to change.

Eastbound and westbound SR-60 has been closed since Wednesday afternoon
between the Long Beach Freeway (I-710) and the San Gabriel Freeway (I-605) after a tanker truck caught fire on eastbound SR-60 under the Paramount Boulevard bridge. There were no serious injuries.

The westbound SR-60 closure has been shortened from I-605 to Rosemead
Boulevard. The freeway connector transition from northbound and southbound I-710 to eastbound SR-60 remains closed.

Continue reading →

Update on SR-60 Reopening and Bridge Demolition

Posted Dec 16, 2011 by in Service Alerts
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Community Detour Map for SR-60 closure

Caltrans has issued a detour map to help the community navigate around the closure of SR-60 this weekend. The map points to routes to the hospital, the alternate route to Paramount Boulevard, and ways for shoppers to access Montebello Town Center. Click on image to view map at full size.

For public transit options, see our previous post from Thursday:
Public transit options help offset 60 Freeway closure

Here is the news release issued by Caltrans today:

Montebello — The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is working to re-open both directions of the Pomona Freeway (SR-60) to traffic by mid-day Saturday, December 17, after the discovery of hazardous materials delayed a planned reopening today.

Eastbound and westbound SR-60 has been closed since Wednesday afternoon between the Long Beach Freeway (I-710) and the San Gabriel River Freeway (I-605) after a tanker truck caught fire on eastbound SR-60 atParamount Boulevard. There were no serious injuries.

Currently, utility work continues on the Paramount Bridge above eastbound SR-60. Following that, demolition of the eastbound portion of the bridge will resume; the westbound side has been determined to be safe and will not be demolished at this time. Pavement work is expected to begin late today.

The westbound SR-60 closure has been shortened from I-605 to Rosemead Boulevard. The freeway connector transition from northbound and southbound I-710 to eastbound SR-60 remains closed.

Caltrans, with its emergency contractor Flatiron Construction, is working around the clock to complete the repairs that will allow the freeway to reopen. The Department is cognizant of the impacts this closure is having on the local communities and is doing everything possible to shorten their inconvenience. In the meantime, Caltrans is taking advantage of the closure to perform various maintenance activities on the freeway.

Motorists are advised to plan ahead, be patient, and use alternate routes or public transportation, if possible. Signed detours are in place. The latest freeway traffic information can be obtained on the Caltrans website: www.dot.ca.gov by accessing the Quickmaps feature.

Transportation headlines, Thursday, Dec. 16th

Posted Dec 16, 2011 by in Transportation News
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Here is a look at some of the transportation headlines gathered by us and the Metro Library.  The full list of headlines is posted on the library’s blog.

Amtrak Says It Needs New York Station That May Be Too Costly (San Francisco Chronicle)

In New York, Amtrak says it needs to move out of Penn Station and it is eyeing the majestic former post office across the street.  The grand colonnaded building is being turned into a rail station worthy of New York’s commuters.  But Amtrak, which lost $1.3 billion last fiscal year, say it can’t afford to move out of Penn Station (which the railroad owns) unless their new home is essentially rent-free.  With the project’s finances unresolved, and other potential sources of project funding gone in the face of Congressional high-speed rail gridlock, New York officials haven’t made any guarantees.

Penn Station is North America’s busiest passenger-transportation center, handling more travelers than the New York region’s three airports combined.  It is in the middle of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, where ridership on regional and Acela trains grew 30 percent to 10.9 million in fiscal year 2011 from 8.4 million in fiscal 2000.  The Acela, which can reach 150 miles per hour, captured 74 percent of the airline-rail market between New York and Washington in fiscal 2011.  In 2000 it was 37 percent.  Are you listening California?  But Amtrak passengers represent a small fraction of commuters using Penn Station, which is also served by New Jersey Transit, the Long Island Rail Road and New York’s subways.  Over 600,000 people enter the station daily; while 25,000 to 30,000 ride Amtrak.

Gridlock again as LA bridge demolition is halted (Associated Press)

Drivers who normally take the 60 freeway to work faced a second day of rush hour misery this morning when workers tearing down part of the fire-damaged freeway overpass at Paramount had to stop when they found a tangle of telephone lines snaking through the bridge and wrapped in potentially hazardous material.  The discovery interfered with plans to remove part of the overpass, repair the pavement and reopen the freeway before Friday’s rush hour.  The freeway remains closed between the 710 and Rosemead and its reopening has now been pushed to the weekend.  To save yourself the headache, go Metrolink or carpool.

Continue reading →

The art of transit

Posted Dec 16, 2011 by in The Art of Transit
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photo by Takato Marui, via Flickr creative commons

As the owner of two dogs and a bicycle, I do not advise trying this or anywhere. The photo was taken in Osaka, Japan, in 2007. That’s one confident pooch.

To submit a photo for the Art of Transit, post it to Metro’s Flickr group, email it to sourcemetro@gmail.com or Tweet it to @metrolosangeles with an #artoftransit hashtag. Many of the photos we’ve featured can be seen in these galleries on Flickr.

Update: Power restored to Metro Green Line

Posted Dec 15, 2011 by in Service Alerts
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Loss of traction power on the Metro Green Line stranded service between Lakewood and Long Beach stations for about a half hour.

Traction power was restored at 5:06 p.m. A bus bridge to shuttle passengers was cancelled as normal operations resumed at 5:11 p.m.

Twitter feed at 4:48 p.m.: Green Line suspended btwn Lakewood & Long Beach Bl stations. Expect major delays to Norwalk. Bus shuttles requested. Use 460 as alt.

Recap of today’s Board of Directors meeting; action taken on December 15th

Posted Dec 15, 2011 by in Transportation News
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Here is a recap of today’s Metro Board of Directors meeting.  The Board took action on the following items:

•The meeting began with an update on yesterday’s tanker truck explosion on the 60 Freeway at Paramount.  The massive fire took out a portion of the eastbound overpass, which will need to be demolished and replaced.  Estimated time to rebuild the eastbound overpass is 6 months.  As a result of the fire there is a slight detour on Metro bus lines 84 and 176.  Lesson: Leave your car at home and go Metrolink or carpool!  Click here for more information from Metrolink and Caltrans.

• Moving on to the Chair’s Report, Mayor Villaraigosa said he believes Metro should take the FTA’s audit findings seriously. “We need a first class bus system,” said the Mayor, before expressing a commitment to maintain the current fare structure and the bus schedule for the year.

Regarding the master planning of Union Station, the Mayor said he looks forward to seeing the plans that are presented by the architectural firms.

Villaraigosa also expressed support for transit-oriented development (TOD) at stations.  He expressed the opinion that as Metro expands the rail and bus system, the agency needs to build more transit-oriented development, planning TOD concurrent with Metro’s planning and construction of Crenshaw, Expo and the Foothill Extension.

•(Item 59.1) Motion By Mayor Villaraigosa regarding Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

By far the liveliest part of the meeting was the Board’s discussion of the FTA compliance review.  The Mayor initiated discussion with the introduction of a motion asking Metro to complete and submit a corrective action plan, with monthly status reports, that complies with all the FTA Title VI audit findings and requirements no later than April 2012.

Continue reading →

Caltrans to open SR-60 Freeway by Friday evening commute; partial demolition of Paramount Blvd. bridge begins later today

Posted Dec 15, 2011 by in Transportation News
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Here’s the news release issued by Caltrans:

Montebello—  Caltrans expects to re-open both directions of the Pomona Freeway (SR-60) to traffic by the evening commute on Friday, December 16. The freeway was closed Wednesday afternoon between the Long Beach Freeway (I-710) and the San Gabriel River Freeway (I-605) after a tanker truck caught fire on eastbound SR-60 at Paramount Boulevard. There were no serious injuries.

Demolition of the east side of the Paramount Boulevard bridge will begin this afternoon. Currently, engineers are taking core samples to assess damage to the west side of the bridge. Based on the results of the assessment, a decision will be made later today about whether the west side needs to be demolished as well. An emergency contract has been awarded to Flatiron Construction to perform the work.

Paramount Boulevard near the accident site is closed. Most of SR-60 between I-710 and I-605 is also closed, but some ramps are open. Open eastbound ramps include San Gabriel Boulevard, Rosemead Boulevard, Santa Anita Avenue, and Durfee Avenue. Open westbound ramps include Atlantic Boulevard and Garfield Avenue. Caltrans is taking advantage of the closure of SR-60, which has an average daily traffic volume of 220,000 vehicles, to conduct intensive maintenance operations.

Motorists are advised to plan ahead, be patient, and use alternate routes. Signed detours are in place and the Caltrans Traffic Management Team is on site. Electronic signs will be used to direct holiday shoppers to the Montebello Town Square Shopping Center.

Caltrans will issue a press release this afternoon providing an update on the demolition and freeway closure.

Public transit options help offset 60 Freeway closure

Posted Dec 15, 2011 by in Service Alerts
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Customers can find a convenient bus or rail route to a destination at the TripPlanner on www.metro.net. Also, this is a good time to check out your rideshare options. Find a friend or neighbor to share the ride or make an instant connection at metro.net. (See “Commuting” in the “Getting Around” tab)

Metro buses continue to serve the area impacted by the 60 Freeway closure. Metro Bus Line 84 (Rte 68) to Eagle Rock, Line 176 (Rte 287) to Highland Park serving the Montebello Town Center along Cesar E Chavez Ave. continue via a slight detour around the Paramount Bridge.

Additionally, the Silver Line runs along the I-10 to Downtown from the El Monte Busway. Lines 487 and 489 travel from the El Monte Busway to the Sierra Madre Villa Station of the Metro Gold Line to Pasadena and continue on city streets to downtown Los Angeles.

Customers can also board the Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension at Atlantic Station. Gold Line trains run every 6 minutes during rush hours. Entrance to the station and a free parking structure is adjacent to the 60 Freeway at the Atlantic exit.

Commuters should also consider taking the Metrolink Riverside lines and San Bernardino line. The San Bernardino Line has more frequent service (every 20 minutes during rush hours) and largely parallels the I-10 Fwy.

The news release issued by Metrolink is after the jump:

Continue reading →

Transportation headlines, Thursday, Dec. 6

Posted Dec 15, 2011 by in Transportation Headlines
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Here is a look at some of the transportation headlines gathered by us and the Metro Library. The full list of headlines is posted on the library’s blog.

60 freeway to be closed this weekend, as bridge is demolished (Los Angeles Times)

UPDATE: 11:45 a.m. Thursday — Caltrans just announced they will re-open the 60 freeway by Friday evening commute.

The 60 Freeway is expected to remain closed this weekend in both directions between the 605 and the 710 freeways as work crews demolish the Paramount Boulevard Bridge, following a Wednesday fuel tanker fire that ignited as the tanker was heading east on the freeway. The vehicle, which was carrying 8,800 gallons of gasoline, eventually came to a stop under the bridge, where it burned for several hours. The bridge sustained significant damage and will need to be rebuilt. Thankfully, the driver and a passenger were able to exit the truck without injury. About 220,000 motorists use the freeway daily, according to state transportation officials.

Chandler Boulevard bike lanes rolling our way soonest (LADOT Bike Blog)

Excellent news for Valley bike riders. Chandler Boulevard will soon be getting bike lanes to fill the gap between Leghorn Street and Woodman Avenue … possibly this weekend. The project will extend the existing Chandler Boulevard Orange Line bike lanes for about one mile, creating a continuous 4.8 mile east-west lane between Van Nuys Boulevard and Vineland Avenue. (2.7 miles from Vineland to Leghorn and 1.2 miles from Van Nuys Blvd. to Woodman.) As anyone who bikes in the Valley knows, tree-lined Chandler Boulevard is a beautiful place to ride and this new lane is going to make the experience safer and better.

TriMet says crackdown on fare cheaters is a success, even if it hasn’t quite paid for itself (Oregonian)

The problem is universal: How to get everyone who rides transit to pay for that ride. In Portland,OR the transit agency’s four-month crackdown on fare cheaters has been a success, even though it isn’t quite covering the cost of the crackdown, according to TriMet General Manager Neil McFarlane. 

Downtowns where parking lots thrive (Skyscraper Page)

This quirky collection of aerial photographs of U.S. cities shows how much of some urban centers are dedicated to parking. Alas, Los Angeles isn’t in there but assuming the little red squares pointing out the parking lots and empty spaces in other cities are accurate, it’s pretty interesting to compare, say, Boston, which is known for embracing mass transit, with Houston, which tends to rank toward the top on the Texas Transportation Institute “worst traffic” list. The page doesn’t say which came first – lots or transit — but ongoing studies indicate that cities with limited and expensive parking encourage mass transit commuting, while cities with an abundance of low-cost parking tend to encourage driving.

Transit researchers have a brand new tool (Metro Transportation Library Primary Resources Blog)

Times change and so does technology.  After 11 years on the previous system, the Metro Library has rolled out a new online public access catalog tool. So now transit junkies (like us) can more easily research questions about L.A. transit and transportation projects and programs, as well as a wide array of historical information on transit. Check it out.