The northbound I-405 freeway between Seal Beach Boulevard and the I-605 interchange will be closed nightly for several weeks beginning Saturday Dec. 10.

Nighttime closures will take place seven days a week; between 11 p.m and 5 a.m., Monday through Friday, and between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., Saturday and Sunday. The work will last approximately three to four weeks.

These full northbound I-405 freeway closures are necessary as part of the northbound I-405 / westbound SR-22 / 7th Street connector reconstruction. Crews will perform the closure in order to erect false work over the freeway for the 7th Street bridge.

Detours:

• From the northbound I-405, exit Seal Beach Boulevard, turn right and proceed north on Seal Beach Boulevard / Los Alamitos Boulevard. Turn left on Katella Avenue to access the northbound I-605 on-ramp.
• From the northbound I-405, exit Seal Beach Boulevard, turn left and proceed south on Seal Beach Boulevard. Turn right on Westminster Avenue and then turn right on Studebaker Road to access the northbound I-405 on-ramp.
• From the northbound I-405, exit Westminster Avenue, turn left on Westminster Avenue and proceed west. Turn right on Studebaker Road and proceed northbound to access the northbound I-405 on-ramp.
• From the northbound I-405, exit Westminster Avenue, turn left on Westminster and proceed west. Turn right on Seal Beach Boulevard, continue north on Seal Beach Boulevard / Los Alamitos Boulevard then turn left on Katella Avenue to access the northbound I-605 on-ramp.

For a full breakdown of all work planned for next week, including recommended detours, please visit the Closure & Detour Notice for the Week of Dec.4, available here.

Metrolink officially kicks off its month-long Holiday Toy Express Tour on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 5:00 p.m. in Anaheim, in conjunction with the launch of the  Southern California Firefighters’ Spark of Love Toy Drive.

Between Nov. 18 and Dec. 18, the 450-ton train will spread cheer across the Southern California region, making 32 stops over five weekends.

The festive train will be decorated with more than 50,000 lights and include a flat car that will be used as a stage for the musical show featuring Santa and Mrs. Claus. Cities hosting the train’s stop have additional events before and/or after the train arrives.

“Metrolink’s Holiday Toy Express has become a tradition that Southern Californians look forward to. We are truly honored to be a part of an activity that brings us together during the holidays and puts smiles on so many faces,” said Richard Katz, Metrolink Board Chairman. “We are grateful to the cities that have supported the Holiday Toy Express. This is truly a united effort to spread cheer across the region.”

Events at all stops, except Camp Pendleton, are open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to bring their friends and family, as well as one or more unwrapped toys to donate to Southern California Firefighters’ “Spark of Love Toy Drive”.

Please click here to see the full schedule.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will conduct ten weekends of 53-hour Extended Closures and Full Freeway Closures on the Long Beach Freeway (I-710) as part of the Long Life Pavement Rehabilitation Project from the Glenn Anderson Freeway (I-105) connector to Atlantic Boulevard. The project is to rehabilitate aging pavement and provide the roadway with several decades of service life, improved pavement performance and a smoother ride for the traveling public.

EXTENDED WEEKEND CLOSURES are scheduled for the following weekends:

• August:  5-8; 12-15; 19-22; 26-29
• September:  9-12; 16-19; 23-26; 30-October 3   (No construction Sept.2-5, Labor Day)
• October:  7-10; 14-17

CLOSED on-ramps to northbound I-710:  

• Eastbound & westbound on-ramps from Imperial Highway, Firestone Blvd. and Florence Ave.

CLOSED on-ramps to southbound I-710:  

• Eastbound & westbound on-ramps from Atlantic Blvd., Florence Ave. and Firestone Boulevard

CLOSED off-ramps from southbound I-710:  

• Eastbound & westbound off-ramps at Florence Ave. and Firestone Boulevard

CLOSED Freeway Connectors:  

• Eastbound & westbound I-105 to northbound I-710

FULL FREEWAY CLOSURES will occur in both directions and twice during each weekend Friday at 11:59 p.m. until Saturday at 6 a.m. and again on Sunday at 11 p.m. until Monday at 5 a.m.

Speeds will be reduced to 45 mph.  Oversized loads are not permitted during these times due to narrower lane widths.  To decrease delay time, motorists are advised to use alternate routes around the project area.  All closures are weather permitting, as paving requires temperatures above 50 degrees and dry conditions.

For information on the I-710 closures, visit Cal Trans or follow Caltrans District 7 on Twitter

Metro Blue Line service in the Long Beach area will be replaced by bus service this weekend due to City of Long Beach tree trimming maintenance work.

Beginning Friday night at 9 p.m. and continuing through 2 a.m. Sunday morning, trains will not run between the Transit Mall and Wardlow Stations.

Beginning Sunday at 4 a.m. and continuing through Monday at 2 a.m., trains will not run between the Transit Mall and Willow Stations.

Metro will run bus shuttle service between the Wardlow Road, Willow Street, Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), Anaheim Street, 5th Street, 1st Street, Transit Mall and Pacific Avenue stations to provide Metro Blue Line patrons with access to those stations/locations.

A full 53-hour closure of the I-405, roughly between the I-10 and U.S. 101, is planned for the weekend of July 16-17, 2011. The closure is needed because of demolition work scheduled on the Mulholland Bridge. Due to the steep nature of the bridge, the freeway in both directions must be closed to protect the public during demolition.

Demolition preparation work is scheduled to begin Friday night, July 15, 2011 at 10 p.m., and continue until Monday morning, July 18, 2011 at 5:00 a.m. During this period, the Mulholland Drive Bridge and both directions of the I-405 freeway and on- and off-ramps within the area of the closure will be closed to ensure public safety during bridge dismantling.

For more information, visit Metro or follow the I-405 Sepulveda Pass Widening Project on Facebook and Twitter.

Metro today became the first major public transit agency in the nation to launch a Spanish language blog, underscoring the growing influence of Latinos in Los Angeles County.

El Pasajero is an interactive website that will post a steady stream of news and features, photos and video about virtually every aspect of mobility that Metro is involved in from running buses and trains to overseeing highway improvements, bicycle and pedestrian programs, goods movement, vanpools, carpools and more. Timely service alerts and breaking news about transportation will be highlighted.

The spotlight will be on Latinos who represent the largest percentage of Metro customers and Metro employees as well as the county’s population in general.

Edited by Jazmin Ortega, a seasoned Spanish-language news reporter, and a team of bloggers, El Pasajero will take an in-depth look at key issues affecting the Latino community including how to do business with Metro, tracking where Metro funding comes from and how it is spent, the changing dynamics of transit in Los Angeles County after the passage of Measure R in 2008, law enforcement and transit, rail safety, dealing with rising gas prices, fun, affordable family destinations via Metro, dining adventures accessible by Metro, the environment, public art, new technology, joint development, high speed rail and other topical issues.

The daily blog also will offer person on the street video interviews, reader feedback, polls, contests and other interactive features.

Metro will hold two community meetings beginning Wednesday, April 6, to update the public on the South Bay Metro Green Line Extension project. The purpose of these meetings is to seek public comments and input as the environmental process continues for extending transit service farther into the South Bay to improve mobility in southwest Los Angeles County.

Metro is currently preparing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (DEIS/DEIR) to identify transit improvements that would provide an alternative to the I-405 corridor by accessing the regional transit network through connections to the proposed Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor, currently under environmental review.

As part of the Draft EIS/EIR, Metro will assess existing conditions in the study area, further refine the project alternatives, assess their potential impacts and identify possible and reasonable mitigation measures as necessary.

The Light Rail ‘Build’ Alterative being considered in the Draft EIS/EIR evaluates extending the Metro Green Line from its current terminus at the Redondo Beach Station to the proposed Torrance Regional Transit Center (RTC). In addition, the Draft EIS/EIR will evaluate the No Build and Transportation Systems Management alternatives.

The public is encouraged to attend the community meetings and provide their input. The meetings will provide a project overview and update on the draft environmental process.

The following is a list of upcoming meetings:

Wednesday, April 6, 2011 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at the Nakano Theater.

Monday, April 11, 2011 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at  North Redondo Senior Center, Perry Park.

The study area encompasses approximately 30 square miles and includes the cities of El Segundo, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Lawndale, Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach and Torrance as well as the Del Aire and Lennox areas of unincorporated LA County.

For information on the project and the Draft EIS/EIR process the public can call 1-800-266-6883 or visit www.metro.net/southbayextension for additional information.

Metro will again offer Dodger Stadium Express bus service from Union Station in downtown Los Angeles to Dodger Stadium beginning March 28 with the Dodgers pre-game series and throughout the regular 2011 baseball season under a grant approved by the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee (MSRC). In support, MetroLink will offer late-night weekday train service from Union Station

A grant of $450,000 awarded to Metro by the MSRC was made in support of clean fuel transit service to link Union Station to Dodger Stadium. The MSRC awards funding within the South Coast Air Basin from a portion of the vehicle registration fee set aside for mobile source projects that result in emission reductions.

“Following last year’s successful launch, Metro is pleased to offer fans the Dodger Stadium Express bus service, which provides a direct link to Dodger Stadium from a vast network of trains and buses coming into Union Station,” said LA County Supervisor and Metro Board Chairman Don Knabe. “We encourage fans to take advantage of public transportation throughout the season to save time and money.”

Last year, the Dodger Stadium Express bus service transported over 122,000 fans with more than 60 percent of those riders using public transportation from their place of origin to get to Union Station to take advantage of the special bus service to the games.

For more information, visit Metro.

Testing began today on the innovative new Metro Student Field Trip Pilot Program for grades 1 through 5. The test will allow L.A. Unified school field trips — students, teachers and chaperones — to travel for free on established Metro trains and bus routes during non-peak hours following authorization by both the school district and Metro. The goal is to help teachers continue to offer enriching educational and cultural experiences, even during these tough economic times for education.

For the test, schools will select from one of 10 L.A. Unified-sanctioned field trip destinations in or near downtown Los Angeles. Destinations include the California Science Center, Chinatown, City Hall, Civic Center, Central Library, the Performing Arts Center, Olvera Street, the Los Angeles Times, the Wells Fargo History Museum and the Museum of Natural History. No custom trips will be offered, nor will trips to sporting events.

“We are pleased to support the efforts of our local schools through this field trip program,” said Metro Board Chair and L.A. County Supervisor Don Knabe. “It’s essential that teachers continue to offer enriching experiences, even when money is tight. We think this program can help make that possible.”