Seal Beach Boulevard Bridge Demolition Begins Tonight

Editor's note: The following news release was issued by the Orange County Transportation Authority.

Crews will demolish the east half of the Seal Beach Boulevard bridge during back-to-back nighttime closures Friday, Sept. 20 and Saturday, Sept. 21. Please be advised this work may be loud and disruptive due to bridge demolition activity, construction equipment and truck back-up alarms.
 
WHAT WILL BE CLOSED?
In order to facilitate bridge demolition activity, the following closures will take place Friday night, Sept. 20 and Saturday night, Sept. 21. 

• Seal Beach Boulevard (between Old Ranch Parkway and North Gate Road) and all I-405 on- and off-ramps will be closed between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.   
• Northbound I-405 freeway (between Valley View St. and the I-605 junction) will be closed between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.  
• Southbound I-405 freeway (between I-605 junction and Bolsa Chica Rd.)  will be closed between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.    

Please be advised, regularly schedule nighttime closures will continue as planned. Visit www.octa.net/WCCDetourMap for a full list of closures scheduled on the WCC project. 
 
WHEN: 
Bridge demolition activity will take place nightly, Friday, Sept. 20 and Saturday, Sept. 21, between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.

WHY:   
The Seal Beach Boulevard bridge must be reconstructed in two phases, one half at a time. Since the freeway below the bridge is being widened, the bridge itself must be reconstructed and lengthened to span the new width of the freeway. Crews will work to reconstruct the east half of the bridge over the next year and the Seal Beach Boulevard bridge is expected to be complete by mid-2014.
 
RECOMMENDED DETOURS: 

Northbound I-405 Freeway Detours

1. Exit Valley View Street (left on Garden Grove Boulevard), turn left on Valley View Street; turn right on Westminster Avenue; turn right on Studebaker Road to access the westbound SR-22 / 7th Street on-ramp or continue north to access the northbound I-405 freeway on-ramp, OR  
2. Exit Valley View Street (left on Garden Grove Boulevard); turn right on Valley View Street; turn left on Katella Avenue to access the northbound I-605 freeway on-ramp

Southbound I-405 Freeway Detours 

1. Exit Studebaker Road and turn right; turn left on E. 2nd Street (becomes Westminster Boulevard); continue on Westminster Boulevard to access southbound I-405 freeway on-ramp, OR
2. Exit Studebaker Road turn right; turn left on E. 2nd Street (becomes Westminster Boulevard); continue on Westminster Boulevard; turn left on Bolsa Chica Road; turn right on Garden Grove Boulevard to access the eastbound SR-22 freeway on-ramp.
   

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