An adorable dog wandered into Steve Foonberg’s office today. If anyone knows who this dog belongs to please contact Steve at (310) 474-1013 or by email at steven@foonberg.com

Hello neighbors!

As you know, tonight begins the weekend-long closure of the 405 Freeway between the 10 and the 101.  Below you will find some detailed information about when ramps will close.  The freeway is anticipated to be re-opened by 6 am on Monday.

If you are staying in the Glen, a police and fire command center will be stationed at Fire Station #99 in case of emergencies.  If you  have an emergency, please dial 9-1-1.  If you have a non-emergency situation, please dial 877-ASK-LAPD or 3-1-1.

Also if you are staying in the Glen, a suggestion from your friendly Traffic Committee Chair:  get out and WALK!  Be visible.  We will have people driving through who are not used to driving through Beverly Glen.  Let them see people here!  Let them see us with our kids and our dogs, enjoying our community.  Then next time they come through, maybe they will drive courteously because they know that Beverly Glen is a neighborhood and a community.

Here is detailed ramp closure information:

Northbound I-405: 10-mile closure between I-10 and U.S. 101

NB Skirball On Ramp  (7pm)

NB Getty On Ramp (7pm)

NB Santa Monica On Ramp (7pm)

EB Wilshire to NB 405 On Ramp (8pm)

EB 10 to NB 405 Connector Closure (9pm)

NB Sunset On Ramp (8pm)

NB Moraga On Ramp (8pm)

NB Olympic/Pico On Ramp (Cotner) (10pm)

WB Wilshire to NB 405 On Ramp (10pm)

WB 10 to NB 405 Connector Closure (11pm)

NB HOV (carpool lane)  # 1 South of I?10 (10pm)

NB Full Closure at I?10 (12am)

Southbound I-405: 4-mile closure between U.S. 101 and Getty Center Drive Ramps

The following begin at 7pm:

SB Valley Vista On Ramp (7pm)

SB Ventura On Ramp (7pm)

NB 101 to Haskell Ave Off Ramp (8pm)

SB 101 to Haskell Ave Off Ramp (8pm)

NB 101 to SB 405 Connector (10pm)

Ventura Blvd/Sepulveda Blvd/Greenleaf St to NB/SB 101 On Ramp (10pm)

SB 101 to SB 405 Connector (11pm)

Ramps and connectors will be reopened by 6 a.m. on Monday, July 18.

Below is a big long message from Metro, which is coordinating all efforts related to the closure of the 405 this weekend.  You can read the whole schmageggy, but I will summarize it for you here:  There will be extra LAPD and LAFD officers stationed at Fire Station 99, just east of BG at Mulholland.  Apparently 71 (at Sunset) will not have additional staffing.

If you have an EMERGENCY this coming weekend, please dial 9-1-1 as usual.  If you have a non-emergency, you can call 3-1-1 or 877-ASK-LAPD.  There is no special non-emergency number being staffed for this event.  The Metro 405 project hotline mentioned in the blurb below is a voice mail only number – feel free to call and leave a message if you have a question.

The attachment at the bottom is a press release from LA Fire Dept basically gives you a longer version of the above.

Here’s the longer version from an e-mail from Metro’s 405 project manager:

“Some of you requested a special number where you can call to report traffic and other emergencies over the 405 closure weekend.  I’d like to report back that the 405 project team brought your concerns and requests directly to the Unified Command  regarding a special number for emergencies, as it is under their jurisdiction.  The Unified Command gave serious consideration to the requests and in the end based their decisions solely on the safety  and security  of all residents and commuters during the weekend closure.  The Unified Command is doing everything they can to protect the safety of all of the citizens of Los Angeles.

The Unified Command decided not to provide the public a special call to number.  They believe it’s best that  ALL  emergency calls (medical, traffic or other)  should be placed to 911.  911 has special capabilities that a 1-800 # would not.  If a call is dropped, 911 has the ability to trace the call and send responders to that location.   911 automatically records and monitors every call.  911 dispatchers are trained to provide critical pre-arrival instructions, such as CPR or the Heimlich Maneuver.   911  is set up to directly communicate with the Unified Command to alert them to police, medical , fire or traffic related emergencies allowing each agency to respond as necessary.  Some of you have expressed concern that the 911 system can be overloaded.  It has been confirmed that there is no chance of an overload to the system occurring and there will be additional resources staffing 911 over the weekend.

Keep in mind that the Unified Command will have set up 13 satellite divisions throughout the area for the weekend.  These will be fixed posts and will have personnel from police, fire and traffic ready to respond.  The locations of these have not been made public as part of their plan.  However, they will cover areas north, south, east and west of the bridge.

The Unified Command will be located at a central location in the City of Los Angeles’ Emergency Operation Center (translation from bureaucratese:  in City Hall).  They will have direct contact to emergency responders and also to hundreds of traffic control officers located around the closure and detour areas.  Trained engineers and signal experts will also be on the ground to make changes to signals when necessary.  The Unified Command will also have access to thousands of signal cameras throughout the City which will enable them to make decisions at a moment’s notice.  Technical engineers will also be working at the Caltrans Traffic Management Center monitoring conditions on regional freeways.  It is worthy of noting that there will be regularly scheduled media briefings throughout the weekend and so the public will not be without critical information.  If you are interested in following the details, your best bet for doing so is to follow up us on Twitter.com/i_405 or tune in to KNX 1070 AM.

For real time traffic conditions, the public is encouraged to call 511 or visit Go511.com.  For City related issues, the public can call 311 .  Extra personnel will be on hand during the weekend closure with extended hours.  311 will be operational from 8:00am to 10:00pm from Friday, July 15 through Sunday, July 17.  People in the County can call 211.   The 405 project hotline, (213) 922-3665, will also be checked regularly throughout the weekend (again – this is a voice mail number only – no human will pick up at this number).  The hotline will not handle emergency situations or provide directions, but will be made available for other questions and concerns.”

405 Closure Fire Dept. Release 0711

Hello Neighbors!

We hope you are enjoying your summer, and that soon we will all look back on the coming weekend during which the 405 will be closed, having survived it!

Below are some links with information that you may find useful:

Bel Air Beverly Crest Neighborhood Council page with info on the freeway closure.

Visit http://www.metro.net/projects/I-405/ for the most current information

Other information on the I-405 weekend closure and associated traffic impacts can be found at http://www.beagreencommuter.com/blog/?cat=266

For airport ground transportation and travel tips on getting to and from LAX go to http://www.lawa.org/405/

Two websites for viewing real-time traffic conditions before getting in your vehicle are Sigalert.com for the freeways and http://trafficinfo.lacity.org/ for surface streets in Los Angeles.

Here’s the official detour map (pdf document will open in a new window) – but don’t expect people to stick to these routes…..

And finally, here’s a list of Metro and Metrolink rail and bus lines that will be free next weekend!  Leave the car at home – use transit!!

The Department of City Planning is in the process of initiating a new Retaining Wall Ordinance. City staff will be conducting some early public outreach meetings to obtain input from the individuals, groups and associations involved. They are working to create a database of photos that show a variety of retaining walls. If you have any photos of walls that you can share please email them to hillside@beverlyglen.org. If you happen to know any details about the wall (e.g., height) please include that in the email. In particular, please send photos of walls that you feel exploit the existing retaining wall ordinance. The existing retaining wall ordinance can be found here: http://cityplanning.lacity.org/Code_Studies/Other/Retaining_Walls.pdf

To be added to the City’s mailing list, please email david.olivo@lacity.org and ask to be added. Please type “Add Me To Retaining Wall Interest List” in the subject line and provide your contact information (please include at least your ZIP Code).

We will keep you posted as this develops.