Some Motorists Surprised : Night Freeway Closing Off to Slow Start

To motorists slowing down to gawk, the scene on the Ventura Freeway early Wednesday in Tarzana was just another gritty construction site.

But to state Department of Transportation officials, it was a drama filled with the excitement and mistakes of a play’s debut.

“The first day of a project is a little like opening night,” said Caltrans spokeswoman George-Ann Rosenberg, referring to the start of nighttime construction on the massive project to widen and upgrade the busy roadway from Thousand Oaks to Universal City.

Although traffic was moving smoothly before rush hour Wednesday morning, the event got off to a slow start Tuesday night.

Crews had been scheduled to close the right westbound lane between Reseda Boulevard and Wilbur Avenue about 9 p.m. Tuesday, but did not do so until 10:30 p.m. Rosenberg said the delay was minor. She said the contractor assigned to setting up the cones blocking the lane was not required to complete the procedure exactly at 9 p.m.

But a California Highway Patrol officer monitoring the scene said other highway workers sat idle as they waited for the cones to be put in place. “I guess the contractor had a different schedule from what we had expected,” he said. “We had all these big rigs here before we were ready for them.”

The lane closure took some motorists by surprise. As a crowd of reporters and Caltrans officials watched from the closed westbound Reseda Boulevard on-ramp about 11 p.m., some motorists slammed on their brakes as traffic slowed by the work site.

The crowd also watched as a sign, with flashing lights warning drivers of the cones, was placed partly inside one of the remaining open lanes. The sign was later moved.

The CHP reported two accidents during the first hours of the lane closing. Neither caused major injuries, a CHP spokesman said.

On Wednesday, Caltrans spokeswoman Karen de Leschery declared the overall effort a success. She said the roadway was cleared of construction crews by 4:30 a.m.

The night construction is part of the first phase of the four-part, $96-million Ventura Freeway improvement project. In this $23-million phase, the westbound freeway will be expanded from four to five lanes from White Oak Avenue to Topanga Canyon Boulevard. The freeway also will be widened from three to four lanes in each direction from Topanga Canyon Boulevard to Valley Circle Boulevard as part of the opening phase.

Caltrans has set up a toll-free number--800 CALL VIP--to inform motorists about lane and ramp closings along the freeway during the work.