Get Ready for More Commuter Traffic Delays

Beginniing in May,  Sherman Oaks residents will be getting a double dose of signs that say things like, "Lane Closed ,"  "Share The Road",  "Left Lane Must Turn Left," and" Detour."

On the east side of town starting this month, there will be lane closures on Coldwater Canyon to allow the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to install a new water pipeline, and the work is projected to take about 18 months according to the DWP.

No question about it, for the next 18 months this will slow down commuter traffic over Coldwater Canyon-which is already at a snails pace on weekdays.

But here's the rub: On the west side of town, there a much bigger construction project already underway in the Sepulveda Pass. So when commuters who normally travel Coldwater Canyon try to avoid the latest lane closures by switching to the San Diego Freeway (405)  or Sepulveda Boulevard they will discover that the 405 Widening Project is also putting the brakes on rush hour traffic.

The 405 Widening Project involves widening the freeway by 25 feet throughout the Sepulveda Pass, and at this point it's unclear how long this massive project will take.

"There will be lots of  grading, much utility work, significant noisy freeway construction, many temporary street and freeway closures and at least two full 405 freeway closures in the Sepulveda Pass," cautioned Richard Close, President of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association.

The work in the Sepulveda Pass  has already begun. Signs telling motorists " Lane Closed" and "Share the Road"  have been up for several weeks.

  Meantime this week, workers hired by the DWP had already set up orange cones on Coldwater Canyon Boulevard and they were probing a hole in the middle of the street .

"We're trying to find the location and depth of a sewer-house connection before installation of the water line can begin," said Enrique Uribe, foreman on the job.

"If the sewer connection is in conflict with the new water line,then it would have to be remodeled," he added. Translation: the project and traffic delays on Coldwater could take even longer than the projected 18 months.

So commuters in Sherman Oaks who travel through the passes every day will probably have to add some extra time to those trips.

People who want to stay informed about the latest closures are being advised to go to the LAMetro website.