OCTA postpones planned 405 Freeway closure for Bolsa Avenue bridge work

A planned shutdown of a section of the 405 Freeway in Westminster this weekend has been postponed, according to the Orange County Transportation Authority.

The agency had originally planned to cordon off the interstate in both directions between Beach Boulevard and Goldenwest Street from around 11 p.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Sunday to accommodate partial demolition of the Bolsa Avenue bridge.

However, that work and related freeway and ramp closures have been delayed, OCTA announced Tuesday morning. No new date was given.

“There are several steps leading up to demolition to ensure that the bridge is safely and quickly demolished with minimal road and freeway closures,” OCTA spokeswoman Megan Abba wrote in an email. “While preparing the Bolsa Avenue bridge for demolition, the construction team encountered some unforeseen conditions on the site that need to be worked on prior to demo.”

The Bolsa Avenue bridge will eventually be torn down and rebuilt in two phases, enabling it to remain open to traffic during construction, according to OCTA.

Once the work is completed, the reconstructed span will have seven lanes — two more than currently — and sidewalks and bicycle lanes in both directions.

The bridge is one of about 18 that will be rebuilt as part of a $1.9-billion project to widen 16 miles of the 405 between the 73 Freeway in Costa Mesa and the 605 Freeway near Rossmoor.

Among them are the Slater Avenue bridge in Fountain Valley, which closed in September; the Fairview Road bridge in Costa Mesa, which OCTA also is tearing down and rebuilding in two stages; and the McFadden Avenue bridge between Huntington Beach and Westminster, which came down last year.

The 405 expansion — which is expected to be complete in 2023 — will add a general-purpose lane and a new “express” toll lane to both directions of the freeway in the project area. The existing carpool lanes in each direction will be converted to express lanes, according to OCTA.

For more information about the project or planned closures, visit octa.net/405improvement.

UPDATES:

This article was originally published at 4 p.m. April 1 and was later updated with information about the postponement.