Where's the bus while the UCLA Grand Hotel is being built?

From the Big Blue Bus

The answer seems to be what bus and when?  The image below is from the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus whose website says:

On Monday, July 8 Ackerman Terminal will close for renovations as part of the Luskin Conference and Guest Center construction through the summer of 2016. Due to this closure, all Big Blue Bus routes serving Ackerman Terminal, Routes 1, 2, 3, 8, 12 and Rapid 12, will begin using the new temporary transit center located on Charles E. Young Dr. between Westholme Ave. and Manning Ave. (in front of the P2 Parking Garage).

Source: http://bigbluebus.com/Newsroom/News/UCLA_Ackerman_Terminal_Closure_Begins_July_8.aspx

More generally:

For Culver CityBus service, both the Rapid 6 and Local 6 service will be shifted south on Westwood Plaza, along the east side of the roadway, at Stein Plaza. Big Blue Bus (BBB) Rapid 12 and all BBB evening and weekend service will terminate on Charles E. Young (CEY) Drive north of Manning. These buses will also make stops at Westwood/Stein Plaza (northbound) and Westwood/Med Plaza (southbound). The University Apartment Shuttle will replace its Ackerman Turnaround stop with a stop at Westwood/Stein Plaza (east side of street). Metro bus routes 2 and 302 have used the Ackerman Terminal for a layover location, which will now be moved to Gayley just north of Le Conte. The most proximate Metro bus stop is located on the southeast corner of Le Conte/Westwood Blvd. Visiting tour buses and school buses should park along CEY Drive North in the designated bus parking zone proximate to the IM Field. All buses will be prohibited north of CEY Drive after the closure of the terminal as the Strathmore Bridge height limitation precludes exiting, and there will be no other area to turn around in this location. Vanpool pick-ups and drop-offs that use the Ackerman Turnaround will be shifted to the southeast corner of the nearby Westwood and Strathmore intersection. This location will also serve as a disabled person pick-up and drop-off location, including the Access Paratransit countywide service. Staff, faculty, and students who have utilized the James West or Ackerman turnarounds for pick-up and drop-off are advised to utilize alternate turnarounds such as Marion Davies, Medical Plaza, or Sunset/Westwood Plaza adjacent to the Anderson School.

Source: http://ucod.ucla.edu/important-information-ackerman-turnaround-closure-effective-july-8-2013-summer-2016

Confused?  Well, maybe you didn't want to take the bus after all:

Get Ready to Miss the Bus

As we noted in a prior blog post, on July 8 they are coming to rip up the Ackerman bus turnaround in preparation for the construction of -TA-TA! - the UCLA Grand Hotel.  That step will put facts-on-the-ground while litigation continues.  Here is the official notice from the transportation folks:

The Ackerman Turnaround and its bus terminal will be closed due to the construction of the Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference and Guest Center for the period of July 8, 2013 through summer 2016. This closure affects campus traffic circulation, bus service, and general wayfinding, as the Turnaround is an easily reached, central point of campus. 

Transit bus service will be shifted to several locations on campus, and you can view the changes on this linked map. For Culver CityBus service, both the Rapid 6 and Local 6 service will be shifted south on Westwood Plaza, along the east side of the roadway, to Stein Plaza. Big Blue Bus (BBB) Rapid 12 and all BBB evening and weekend service will terminate on Charles E. Young (CEY) Drive north of Manning. These buses will also make stops at Westwood/Stein Plaza (northbound) and Westwood/Med Plaza (southbound). The University Apartment Shuttle will replace its Ackerman Turnaround stop with a stop at Westwood/Stein Plaza (east side of street). Metro bus routes 2 and 302 have used the Ackerman Terminal for a layover location, which will now be moved to Gayley just north of Le Conte. The most proximate Metro bus stop is located on the southeast corner of Le Conte/Westwood Blvd. Visiting tour buses and school buses should park along CEY Drive North in the designated bus parking zone proximate to the IM Field. All buses will be prohibited north of CEY Drive after the closure of the terminal as the Strathmore Bridge height limitation precludes exiting, and there will be no other area to turn around in this location.

Vanpool pick-ups and drop-offs that use the Ackerman Turnaround will be shifted to the southeast corner of the nearby Westwood and Strathmore intersection (map). This location will also serve as a disabled person pick-up and drop-off location, including the Access Paratransit countywide service. Staff, faculty, and students who have utilized the James West or Ackerman turnarounds for pick-up and drop-off are advised to utilize alternate turnarounds such as Marion Davies, Medical Plaza, or Sunset/Westwood Plaza adjacent to the Anderson School. Departments should advise visitors accustomed to utilizing pay stations in Parking Structure (PS) 6 that PS 6 is now closed. Visitor parking is available on the top level of Parking Structure 8.
 
Lastly, service and delivery vehicles that use the James West Turnaround will need to shift to either the Ackerman loading dock access road (by Engineering) or the bollarded pathways leading to Bruin Walk. Impacted departments should contact service providers to ensure a smooth transition. 

Source: http://www.transportation.ucla.edu/portal/emails/bcc/0713/News1.html

So if you miss the bus, you know who to blame:

More Night Closures in the Sepulveda Pass

Tough to get in.

It will be hard to get into segments of Sepulveda Blvd. at night during the first half of July. From the Brentwood Patch:

Kiewit is scheduled to resume work involving the night time full closure of Sepulveda Blvd. between the Skirball Bridge and Mountaingate starting Monday, July 1 for approximately two weeks between the hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.  

The anticipated dates of the full closure of Sepulveda are July 1-2 and July 8-13 between the hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Full story at http://brentwood.patch.com/groups/announcements/p/sepulveda-blvd-to-get-widened-at-skirball-bridge

So it will be tough to get in, but maybe not impossible:

 

405: The Drama Continues

From LA County Supervisor Yaroslavsky:

Work this week on two overpasses across the 405 Freeway is prompting night closures of both bridges and the freeway. The Skirball Bridge is being closed nightly from 10 p.m. through 6 a.m. so that girders can be installed to form the bridge’s deck. That work continues tonight and Friday night, and is set to conclude by Saturday morning. Because of the size of the girders—the largest weighs 128,000 pounds—the northbound freeway running from Getty Center Drive to the 101 Freeway will be closed as well so that motorists aren’t endangered. Ramps in the area start closing tonight and Friday as early as 7 p.m., with lane closures beginning at 10 p.m. The entire northbound stretch will be closed from midnight each night, reopening at 5 a.m. the following day...

More info at http://zev.lacounty.gov/405-report/night-bridge-work-closes-freeway

It doesn't seem to end:

The Unholy 405 Construction

From the Jewish Journal comes a report that the 405 construction near UCLA is decidedly Non-Kosher.  But you probably knew that.

The Los Angeles Community Eruv will not be in operation during the Shabbat that begins at sundown tonight, June 14, due to construction on the 405 Freeway. An eruv makes carrying items within its boundaries on Shabbat permissible for Jews, according to halacha (Jewish law). This includes synagogue-goers carrying books and prayer shawls to parents wheeling strollers. 

According to Howard Witkin, the head organizer of the Los Angeles Community Eruv... , construction at the 405 on- and off-ramps at Wilshire Boulevard will make it impossible to replace the 150 to 200 feet of fencing that needs to be standing in order to make the eruv kosher. “There’s just too much going on there to make it possible for us to do repairs,” Witkin said, adding that this is only the second time in three years that this has happened due to construction.

“We hope to have a workaround for next week, but the next three weeks will be problematic as the contractor rushes to finish new and demolish old bridges at Wilshire,” he wrote separately in an e-mail to a community notification list...

Full story at http://www.jewishjournal.com/los_angeles/article/405_construction_downs_eruv

UPDATE: The 405 Southbound near UCLA will be closed tonight:
http://brentwood.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/405-freeway-southbound-to-close-tuesday-night 

Just another sign of the times; they're coming to build the grand hotel

Just another reminder that UCLA is marching ahead with its plans to build the grand hotel where parking structure #6 and the Ackerman-area bus turnaround now stand.  There are two lawsuits pending but the build-and-bond folks are anxious to put "facts on the ground."  

Bus riders will be displaced starting July 8 and during the construction period, as the sign indicates.

Of course, we don't know what direction they will be coming from to build the grand hotel on July 8.  But there are rumors it will be down the Janss Steps:

Bus Lane on Wilshire Could Affect Commutes

A new bus-only lane is opening on Wilshire during rush hours including the segment near UCLA.  There may be an effect on commute times to UCLA.

Info at http://www.metro.net/news/simple_pr/new-bus-lanes-open-wilshire-boulevard/

UPDATE: Did it happen in Westwood?  The LA Times version seems to say, "no."  Sadly, yours truly is out of town and can't confirm one way or another.  But here is the Times version:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bus-only-lanes-20130605,0,2062657.story

Hope for UCLA Commuters?

A new northbound lane of the 405 Freeway was opened Friday between the 10 Freeway and Santa Monica Boulevard... The additional lane stretches for 1.7 miles and opened at 5 a.m. It’s the latest mark of progress for the $1-billion, multiyear 405 Freeway widening project that has been inundated with delays and cost overruns, frustrating commuters and residents alike for years...

Full story at http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-new-lane-405-freeway-20130524,0,4779451.story

A new dawn? Let's manage our expectations:

Stay Home Tonight

Word has it that the 405 Freeway will be closed from Santa Monica Boulevard to Wilshire Boulevard tonight and Saturday night, 11 PM until 9 AM.

There's no place like home:

And the good news is?

We asked for comments from commuters in the UCLA area:

The Next ObamaJam Will be June 7

The President has not been doing any local fundraisers recently.  But when he does, they inevitably tie up traffic on the Westside.  The hiatus will end on Friday, June 7, when he comes for a lunchtime event in Santa Monica.  Yours truly will be in St. Louis on that day.  For those readers who remain in town and plan to come to UCLA on June 7, however, it would be best to arrive early and leave late. (Or you can attend the fundraiser for a mere $10,000 and up.)

Source of these tidings:
http://www.smmirror.com/articles/News/Obama-To-Attend-Fundraiser-June-7-At-Peter-Chernins-Santa-Monica-Home/37450

And the good news is...?

Actually, buried within the article is the info that although the entire project is now scheduled to be completed June 2014, part of the segment near UCLA will - so it says - be done next fall:

...Officials now aim to complete the bulk of the project by June 2014, with work on the problematic middle segment between Montana Avenue and Sunset Boulevard lasting perhaps until next fall, according to Michael Barbour, the veteran engineer overseeing the project for the L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Kiewit has said "it could go as far as September," Barbour said, "but we think we're ahead of that." ...

Full story at http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-405-problems-20130425,1903818,2717973,full.story

Coldwater Reopens

Apparently, the closure of Coldwater Canyon has ended.  That closure had diverted traffic to roads that feed into UCLA.  A notice of the reopening is at http://www.ladwpnews.com/go/doc/1475/1757691/

Sunset closing this coming weekend

From the Westwood-Century City Patch:

The Sunset Boulevard on-ramp to the northbound I-405 will be closed 38 straight hours on Friday. The closure begins at 8 p.m. Friday and runs to 10 p.m. Sunday. Construction crews are closing the on-ramp while they remove an Exxon-Mobil pipeline. To get around the work, drivers can detour taking Sunset Boulevard to the northbound Church Lane, to northbound Sepulveda, and to the Moraga Drive northbound I-405 on-ramp...

Full article at http://centurycity.patch.com/articles/38-hour-closure

So take the detour:

Blocked

From the Westwood-Century City Patch:

Starting Friday night, a mile-long section of the northbound San Diego (405) Freeway will be closed in West Los Angeles overnight this weekend to accommodate work needed to widen the freeway, a Metro spokesman said. Northbound lanes will be closed from the Santa Monica (10) Freeway to the Olympic Boulevard exit starting about 11 p.m. and reopened about 6 a.m., according to Metro, which is managing the project aimed at adding a northbound carpool lane. On Saturday, crews will start closing lanes about the same time as Friday, but the freeway will reopen about 7 a.m. on Sunday, then close about 11 p.m. that night. The overnight work is expected to wrap up before dawn Monday, with lanes reopening about 5 a.m., according to Metro. The Olympic Boulevard off-ramp also will be closed during work hours...

Full story at http://centurycity.patch.com/articles/weekend-closure-of-405-freeway-begins-friday

Train to UCLA Will Take Time

If you are waiting to beat the traffic on the subway to reach UCLA, be prepared for a long wait. 

The 9.4-mile transit project known as the Westside Subway Extension, the Measure R-approved connector from downtown Los Angeles to the Veterans Medical Center in West L.A., was rebranded by Metro as the Purple Line Extension... Construction on the second phase is scheduled to begin in 2019 and will bring a subway station to Wilshire Boulevard at Rodeo Drive by 2026. The third phase is set to begin in 2025 and will see stations built at UCLA in Westwood and the Veterans Administration campus in West L.A...

Full story at http://centurycity.patch.com/articles/westside-subway-extension-renamed-purple-line-extension-f6b732b3

In the meantime, you can hum along:

Closed Again

A major nighttime freeway closure is scheduled on the San Diego (405) Freeway in the Sepulveda Pass Monday night, Caltrans officials said. Southbound 405 traffic from the San Fernando Valley into the Westside will be diverted late tonight and Tuesday morning as major work is under way to build the second half of the Mulholland Drive bridge. Metro officials said. Onramps and transition roads to the southbound 405 in the south end of the Valley will start closing at 7 p.m. Monday. Freeway lanes will begin to shut down at 10 p.m., and all 405 southbound traffic will be blocked at the Ventura (101) Freeway as of midnight Monday night...

Full story at http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_22914649/405-freeway-traffic-at-sepulveda-pass-be-diverted

Back in the day, the traffic at least moved:

LA Marathon May Block Some Routes to UCLA Sunday

Basically, getting to UCLA from 5 am until a little after 2 pm on Sunday could be a hassle. A timetable of street closures is at:
http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2013/03/los_angeles_marathon_rout.php

Nowhere to go on Sepulveda Boulevard

We might as well provide a pretty picture but the real news is:

Southbound Sepulveda Boulevard at Constitution Avenue will be reduced to one lane beginning Wednesday.  The closure will affect commuters between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. through Friday while traffic signal reconfiguration is completed at Constitution Avenue, according to a Metro construction notice...

Source: http://centurycity.patch.com/articles/sepulveda-closure-could-snarl-westside-traffic

Rampaging 405 Construction

Despite the picture, the ramp will be down, not up. Which ramp?

On Friday, March 8, the I-405 Sepulveda Pass Improvements Project will begin demolishing the third of eight ramps joining Wilshire Bl and the I-405 freeway. This time the southbound I-405 ramp to westbound Wilshire will be rebuilt. The ramp will be closed beginning March 8 at 8pm. The contractor anticipates reopening the new ramp by 6am, Friday March 22. Reconstruction of all eight Wilshire ramps is expected to be complete by the end of 2013...

Source:
http://www.metro.net/projects/I-405/wilshire-ramps-reconstruction/