The 101 Freeway reopened four hours ahead of schedule at 10a.m. on Sunday after being closed Friday night to allow for the demolition of the Easternmost segment of the Sixth Street Bridge.
The closure, dubbed the #101SlowJam, closed the freeway from the split of the 10 and 101 freeways to the interchange of the 5, 10 and 101 freeways, affecting traffic in Boyle Heights and bringing delays to weekend commutes. Those delays lasted between 10 and 20 minutes on Saturday, a Caltrans District 7 director told the Los Angeles Times. The Times reports that favorable weather and a lack of equipment problems made the ahead-of-schedule finish possible.
Los Angeles Councilman Jose Huizar, representative of Boyle Heights on the council, thanked the Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering for completing the work ahead of schedule.
101 fwy #slowjam has reopened, 4 hrs ahead of schedule. Thnx 2 LA Bureau of Engineering for their great work! #BoyleHeights #CD14
— Jose Huizar (@josehuizar) February 7, 2016
The Sixth Street Viaduct, the official name of the bridge, had to be demolished due to deteriorating concrete. The entire demolition of the bridge could take nine months, the Times reports, and a new bridge is expected to be completed in late 2019.
Photo above: Demolition crews begin work over the 101 Freeway. Photo by KevinBreak.com
