The 405 Freeway will be closed off from Cherry Avenue to Lakewood Boulevard from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday, according to a news release from Long Beach 4th District Councilman Patrick O’Donnell.
In addition to the partial closure, the entire freeway will be closed from 12 a.m. to 5 a.m.
The closure will allow for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to demolish and reconstruct a damaged portion of the Temple Avenue Bridge, according to the news release.
Junior journalism major Michael Mendoza said he thinks the project can be inconvenient to commuters.
“I believe [Caltrans] should save the construction for the weekend since everybody is trying to get home from work during the week,” Mendoza said.
David Espindola, a senior journalism major with an emphasis in public relations, said he takes the 405 Freeway to go home, but he has not been “stuck” yet.
“If [the freeway closure is] until Thursday, then it’s not going to be a big deal,” Espindola said. “People should just suck it up and deal with it.”
Yeasmin Ema, a freshman human development major, said people should not be too concerned with the project.
“I don’t see a big issue with the [construction],” Ema said. “Just Google another route.”
Hanson, Seeger, a freshman kinesiology major, said that if the bridge has to be fixed, then it should it be done as soon as possible.
The $2.5 million project started on Monday, and is funded by the State Highway and Operations Program (SHOPP). Caltrans advises motorists to “slow for the cone zone.”