101 Freeway closure planned in San Fernando Valley this weekend for removal of pedestrian bridge

A portion of the 101 Freeway will be shut down in both directions overnight Saturday as crews work to demolish a pedestrian bridge over the freeway at Encino Avenue.

All lanes of the 101 Freeway are scheduled to close between White Oak Avenue and Balboa Boulevard at 10 pm Saturday before reopening at 10 am Sunday, Caltrans stated in a news release.

Motorists are being asked to use an alternate route or follow detour signs to exit at Balboa, Victory or Ventura Boulevards.

A Caltrans map shows the 12-hour closures through Encino planned for Saturday night.

In addition to the full closure Saturday night, Caltrans says up to three lanes in each direction of the 101 may close as soon as 10 pm Friday and reopen at 10 am Saturday. Two lanes in each direction will remain open during this partial closure.

The closures are being scheduled to allow crews to remove the Encino Avenue bridge due to its “nonstandard vertical clearance,” Caltrans stated. Caltrans is not planning to replace the pedestrian bridge.

Several years ago, a group of Encino residents fought to keep the little-used bridge from being rebuilt after demolition so that some of the nearly $20 million expected to be spent on the project could be used to repair infrastructure, streets and sidewalks, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

The following ramps will also be closed during this weekend’s project:

• Reseda Boulevard onramp to the southbound 101 Freeway
• White Oak Avenue on ramp to the southbound 101 Freeway
• Balboa Blvd onramp to the northbound 101 Freeway
• Onramp from Haskell Avenue to the northbound 101 Freeway
• Connector from the southbound 405 Freeway to the northbound 101 Freeway
• Connector from the northbound 405 Freeway to the northbound 101 Freeway

Real-time traffic information can be found at quickmap.dot.ca.gov.

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