Gnarly 405 Finishing Its Widening

Barricades began coming down over the weekend on the 405 Freeway--from the 10 to the 90 freeways--signaling an end to the five-year westside widening project, reports CBS2. "The $167 million widening project took five years to complete, and adds carpool lanes and exit lanes on the freeway. The five main traffic lanes in each direction were widened from 10 feet wide to 12 feet, and the often-uneven asphalt surface next to the center divider was replaced with concrete. As a result of the new project, the 405 will have carpool lanes from the interchange at the Santa Monica Freeway all the way to the El Toro Y, 56 miles away, Caltrans' [Judy] Gish said." According to Gish, the northbound lanes will open later this month. [CBS2]