SEPULVEDA TUNNEL NEAR LAX TO CLOSE ALL DAY SEPTEMBER 9; EARLY MORNINGS SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY SEPT. 17 TO OCT. 26

(Los Angeles, CA – September 6, 2000) The Sepulveda Tunnel, adjacent to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), will be fully closed early mornings in both directions for six weeks, as the next phase of a major upgrade of the six-lane tunnel begins.

The full closure will be from 11 p.m. until 4 a.m., Sundays through Thursdays, beginning Sept. 17 and concluding Oct. 26.

Traffic will be detoured around the tunnel so vehicles can enter and leave LAX and travel through the airport area during these periods. Changeable message signs will be placed on the I-105 and I-405 Freeways and on major streets leading to the Sepulveda Tunnel in both directions to alert motorists to detours.

Traffic detours will be as follows:

Sepulveda Boulevard – Northbound

Northbound traffic on Sepulveda Blvd. will be detoured onto eastbound Imperial Highway, to northbound Aviation Blvd., to westbound Century Blvd., and then back to northbound Sepulveda Blvd. The westbound I-105 ramp to northbound Sepulveda Blvd. will be closed.

Sepulveda Boulevard. - Southbound

Southbound traffic on Sepulveda Blvd. will be detoured onto eastbound Century Blvd., to southbound Aviation Blvd., to westbound Imperial Hwy., and then back to southbound Sepulveda Blvd. The upper and lower level airport exits to southbound Sepulveda Blvd. will be closed. Traffic will be detoured onto eastbound Century Blvd., to southbound Aviation Blvd., to westbound Imperial Hwy., and then back to southbound Sepulveda Blvd.

I-105 - Westbound

Westbound I-105 traffic for northbound Sepulveda Blvd. will be detoured to the Aviation Blvd. exit, then west on Imperial Hwy. to northbound Aviation Blvd., to westbound Century Blvd. and then back to northbound Sepulveda Blvd. Westbound I-105 traffic from 405 North will be detoured to the Nash Street exit, then east on Imperial Hwy., to northbound Aviation Blvd., to westbound Century Blvd., and then back to northbound Sepulveda Blvd.

Single Lane Closures In Both Directions Set For Sept. 9

In addition to the full closures above, a 24-hour partial-lane closure is scheduled for September 9 to perform median island modifications in preparation for girder placement. The number one (left) lane both northbound and southbound through the Sepulveda Tunnel will be closed from midnight Friday, Sept. 8 until midnight Saturday, Sept. 9.

Construction crews need the closures to lengthen the tunnel by 165 feet on the north side to extend its length to 1,900 feet. During the closures crews will put girders in place to support the taxiway. When completed, an airfield taxiway will be realigned to increase the

distance separating aircraft taxiing along two east-west taxiways, just east of the airport’s Terminal 8. Aircraft using Taxiway C now maneuver in a narrow corridor between another taxiway located alongside an active runway and a service road used by airport vehicles.

Crews have repainted the tunnel’s 46-year-old ceilings and an upper portion of the walls. The repainting, using special graffiti-resistant paint, and upgrading and modernizing of the tunnel’s lighting will cost $4.6 million of the project’s total cost of $35 million.