There are just a few days left till the 405 closure. Have you made plans? I have been doing stories on this closure almost every night since a news conference June 6th in which public officials warned people to stay away from the 405 July 16-17th when crews take down the southside of the Mulholland Bridge to begin making it wider. That’s needed to accomodate the widening of the freeway itself.

The 405 will be closed between the 10 and the 101 for 53 hours. At 7pm Friday night workers will begin closing ramps north of the 10. By midnight they will all be closed. a 4 to 6 foot blanket of dirt will be placed on the freeway under the bridge built in 1959 so when concrete begins to fall lanes will not be damaged.

This week I’ll be posting some ideas I hope will make the weekend a little better for you. Many you may have heard because they have been made by public officials. Here is today’s list of 5 ways to prepare:

1. If you don’t have to drive don’t. That’s been the message from public agencies since the first announcement. And, they’ll be broadcasting that message to anyone who will listen this week. Its logical.

2. For those who can’t stay home and have to work or go somewhere use navigation tools to help you determine the best route. We do it for road trips and family vacations.

3. Build-in extra time in your schedule to leave EXTRA early. If you get to work too early find a coffee shop or restaurant and relax before work.

4. Sstay away from Sepulveda Blvd. if you can. It will be open, but if my experience is helpful that road can get ugly when there are too many cars on it. I sat on Sepulveda one night for well over an hour when a small portion of the 405 was closed for some work and got home at 2am. I’m usually home much earlier. The same happened that night to many of my colleagues who have to travel the pass. Public officials are asking you stay away from Sepulveda because they want locals who live in the pass to be able to get in and out of their homes.

5. Take a few minutes and plan your Saturday and Sunday now. There’s no reason to wait until the last minute to budget your time for something you know is going to happen.

I’m sure much of this seems obvious. I will have more tips as the week goes on, but please feel free to leave me questions or tips you may have. We will talk about mass transit and other things that can help us all have a good weekend.