Obama Traffic, Street Closures Return to the Westside, Culver City on Thursday, April 21

Update 9:25am (4-22-2011)

Obama now on Air Force 1.

Streets should be reopening.

Everything crossing over the 405 between Bundy and Westwood is loaded up.  Wilshire is the worst of them right now, especially east of the 405.

405 NORTH is still jammed up from Culver to Wilshire.

That wraps up our coverage – thanks everyone who checked in with us and sent us tips!  It was a team effort.

Make sure to follow us on Twitter and “like” us on Facebook and bookmark us at http://www.totaltrafficla.com - for Total Traffic information, 24/7!

Update 9:19am (4-22-2011)

Helicopters left VA for LAX.  Street closures should be all lifted momentarily

Update 9:15am (4-22-2011)

Everyone got the same idea and headed to Olympic – now a parking lot we hear!

Update 9:07am (4-22-2011)

Traffic released on the 405.  It caused it to back up from Venice Blvd.

Update 9:05pm (4-22-2011)

Reports of 405 NORTH traffic behind held at Santa Monica.

Update 9:02am (4-22-2011)

Wilshire and Santa Monica by the 405, as well as Overland and Westwood north of Olympic seem to be bearing the brunt of the traffic.

Olympic, Pico and the 10 are decent.

Update 8:49am (4-22-2011)

Street closures in Century City as well – Ave of the Stars, Constellation, Century Park E

BTW – Pico, Sunset and Olympic are all decent right now.

Update 8:39am (4-22-2011)

Santa Monica closed down between at least Wilshire and Beverly Glen

Update 8:35am (4-22-2011)

Southbound Century Park E closed now

Westbound Santa Monica closed at Wilshire

Update 8:28am (4-22-2011)

It’s about go time – according to Facebooker Just Ducky, every intersection and corner on Santa Monica between Beverly Glen and Wilshire has traffic control set up and is crawling with cops.  Yellow tape going up as well.  Constellation, Ave of the Stars and Century Park east have orange cones set up in the turn lanes and the helicopters are up and about.

Update 8:12am (4-22-2011)

@mikehjr reports ”the presidential Motorcade getting ready to start up; I have a great view of the Beverly Hilton from my office window!”

Update 8:03pm (4-22-2011)

Official White House schedule says President Obama is slated to leave at 8:55pm, but he may be a bit delayed.

Update 7:40am (4-22-2011)

Reports are coming in of barricades on Wilshire / Beverly Glen and Santa Monica and Century Park W

Update 7:28am (4-22-2011)

Good morning… Back to finish up the Obama coverage this morning.

The president is scheduled to head out from the Beverly Hilton back to the VA between 8 and 9am, so street closures should begin soon.  Most likely they will be brief and not too disruptive since Friday morning traffic tends to be light anyway and today is a holiday for some – Good Friday.

@DanielleMiranda brings good news so far – Got thru the Beverly Hilton before Obama left…this Good Friday commute is AMAZING. PS never seen so many cops

Update 10:19pm

Well that about wraps it up… Motorcade should be pulling in to Beverly Hilton any minute – already seeing the jamups at that intersection and on Beverly Glen.  Streets will be open shortly.

Obama is heading out tomorrow morning – scheduled to depart around 8 so he’ll be disrupting the morning drive again.  We’ll be there to help you through it.

Goodnight and thanks for checking in!

Update 10:00pm

Motorcade just passed Santa Monica and Sepulveda.

Update 9:48pm

Traffic is shut down on Santa Monica through West LA, Century City and Bevelry Hills as the president returns to the Beverly Hilton.  Should be short lived.

Update 9:38pm

People are reporting helicopters and the motorcade on the move.  Looks like Obama’s finished with dinner.  He’ll be on his way back to the Beverly Hilton, which will most likely create short closures on Santa Monica and / or Wilshire Blvd.

Update 9:11pm

Still haven’t heard about any motorcade movement, but he did get out of Culver City a bit late.  The good news is that traffic on Wilshire and Santa Monica is decent so, with the exception of closure of a few minutes, it shouldn’t be too bad.

However, you best avoid the area around Santa Monica and Wilshire where the Beverly Hills Hotel is.

Update 8:47pm

Traffic on Wilshire starting to ease… but the President will be headed back to the Beverly Hilton soon  – so both Santa Monica and Wilshire are fair game for the next round of closures…

Update 8:33pm

It appears Wilshire is still shut down.  We’ve received reports of people sitting in their cars for almost an hour in stopped traffic.

Update 8:23pm

Santa Monica just reopened at Barrington.

Update 8:21pm

@sgvscanner says the motorcade has arrived in Brentwood.  Streets should start reopening shortly…

Update 8:13pm

@CulverCityTV reports the motorcade left on Culver Blvd headed westbound to the 405.

Overland SB is reported to be gridlocked, as is Barrington near Santa Monica.

Update 8:07pm

Obama should be in transit right now.  Earlier they sent both a helicopter and motorcade (decoy?) so the motorcade will go out again.  So far it appears everyone deserted the westside so once the temporary street closures are over, things shouldn’t be too bad.

Update 7:51pm

Obama’s done speaking… now he’s headed from Culver City to Brentwood.

Santa Monica closed Sepulveda to Barrington

Wilshire closed Sepulveda to San Vicente

Use Pico, Olympic – they look good.

Update 7:38pm

Facebooker Michelle Conant reports Wilshire is now closed at Sepulveda.

Eric Conrad just shot us this picture of he Santa Monica closure…

Update 7:30pm

Facebooker Eric Conrad filled us in – Santa Monica closure begins at Barrington on the west end.

Update 7:19pm

President Obama is still at Sony speaking.. looks like they’re getting ready setting up closures – which is why San Vicente and Santa Monica are closing.

Update 7:15pm

San Vicente at Federal is blocked off.  @angiecrouch reports hundreds are lined up to greet President Obama.

Update 7:14pm

It’s starting again!  Santa Monica reported to be blocked off at Sepulveda!

Update 6:58pm

Obama will wrap up shortly at Sony and then head to Tavern in Brentwood.  He is scheduled to give  7:55pm address…

Update 6:54pm

@JenHen reports Bundy is clear from Ocean Park through Wilshire

@CySerrano says WB Venice is looking great from La Cienega to Overland.

Update 6:47pm

Kristie Hart reports quiet in Culver City at the intersection of Washington and Culver

Update 6:42pm

@netta_doc checks in with a report … 405 S from Nordhoff –> Wilshire wide open. Wilshire into Brentwood wide open. All of Brentwood wide open!

Update 6:28pm

More good news… @LTSurf says Culver Blvd open and clear from Venice to the 90

Make sure to follow us on Twitter and “like” us on Facebook – we’re updating those too and we continue to provide traffic info, even after Obama is long gone from LA!

Update 6:27pm

@corrineneurotic is another one that says Wilshire looks good… she says it’s clear from Beverly Hills to the Beach… amazing!

Update 6:00pm

@codygibbs reports that most of the tape is down in Culver City right now.

Since Obama is occupied for awhile, if you got stuck on the Westside, you might want to make your escape now because it will start all over again around 7.

Update 5:57pm

Facebooker Michael Albrecht says that if you’re going from downtown to the westside, consider the 10 – worked well for me. got off on Bundy and moved north easily

Update 5:33pm

By the way – you Valley bound drivers trying to escape… 405 NORTH is completely jammed through the Sepulveda Pass and DO NOT try Beverly Glen.. it’s just as bad

Update 5:31pm

Reports of all the tape coming down from the earlier closures.  It appears they sent both a helicopter and a motorcade over to Culver City – one might be a decoy.  The president is now at Sony Pictures.

Update 5:20pm

Reports of Obama being helicoptered in to Culver City. Pedestrians aren’t allowed to cross streets now either.

Update 5:12pm

@jasminegoesto11 - Pico Closed Beverly Green and Beverly Glen

@n0tinwonderland – Motor and Venice are closed

Update 5:08pm

Another Update from Just Ducky:

Santa Monica Blvd pretty much a complete parking lot heading East between Beverly Glen and Century Park East.
Avenue of the Stars heading north between Pico and Santa Monica Blvd is jammed.
Century Park East is closed.
Constellation heading East is closed – only open heading West for cars leaving building parking lots.
Basically, the area around Century City is a mess. Stay away.

Update 5:02pm

@Redgonewrong reports some more strangely light conditions: @TotalTrafficLA just took Westwood from UCLA to Pico — it’s all clear and empty right now. They’re set to close / control intersections at Santa Monica and/or Olympic

We’re also hearing about helicopters over Century City.

Update 4:48pm

Facebooker Just Ducky reports she just got an email from office management that quotes unofficial LAPD sources as saying that Century Park East south of Santa Monica will see Presidential traffic over the next hour.

She also says that all the driveways that lead on to Century Park East have tape across the driveways and most have a police officer standing by.  Olympic heading east from Century City is at a standstill.

Update 4:40pm

Not confirmed, but… @wilfrankkiker says that Wilshire in westwood is almost crystal clear rt now

Update 4:32pm

Reports are that Big Blue Bus Route 5 is one of the few not affected.  Along with the fact Metro buses are running down Olympic as well, it indicates that Olympic will most likely remain open all afternoon.

Update 4:14pm

@stephen_stanton offers this videoof the motorcade through Brentwood earlier today…

Update 4:06pm

It’s been pretty quiet, but even those short closures were enough to really jam up traffic.  Obama is scheduled to be at Sony sometime after 4:30 so we should start to see activity pick up soon.  We’ll keep you posted.

Update 3:48pm

@trojansigma reports that it took 45 minutes to get 2 miles in West LA

Update 3:44pm

@suishi finds a little humor in the situation of him heading to the Beverly Hilton first - @TotalTrafficLA Looks like he’s checking in first since he’s early anyway.

Update 3:26pm

Facebooker Midge Hendricks reports San Vicente is open but is backing up north of Wilshire and Barrington is open now too.

Update 3:20pm

At this point, Pico and Olympic are the best east/west streets.  Major delays on Santa Monica and Wilshire.

Update 3:17pm

Ave of the Stars and Santa Monica reopen according to Facebooker Peter Fennema

Update 3:11pm

Reports of Obama motorcade turning in to Beverly Hilton - could be a decoy but maybe he’s headed there first.  No wonder why Santa Monica was shut down the entire streetch.  Olympic bad also.

BTW Our server is getting overloaded but we continue to pump out updates at @totaltrafficla on Twitter and Facebook “Total Traffic Los Angeles”

Update 3:06pm

Traffic reported at a standstill on Wilshire and Westwood. We’ve been getting a lot of reports of Westwood being blocked off as far south as Pico.. might be the route…

Update 2:54pm (4-21-2011)

More reports of Santa Monica being closed all over the place from the Beverly Hilton out to Bundy – so it looks like that’s the biggie to stay away from.

—–

Looks like Marine 1 is just arriving at the VA.

We’ve also got San Vicente shut down east of Barrington, Barrington is closed north of San Vicente.

Also we’re getting reports of Santa Monica being closed between the 405and Wilshire  – which would jive with the info about it being closed in Century City.

If Obama is going to VA, then it does appear he will be driving to Century City.

Update 2:35pm (4-21-2011)

President Obama is in the Marine 1 Helicopter and in the air.

Our Facebookers are updating us -

• Santa Monica is closed “all the way to Beverly Glen” and beyond – Jolie Wolf Jashni
• Barricades are being setup on Olympic and Westwood – Mary Kenefick Kopp
• Rachel M. Wilson says streets in Century City are being closed. – Rachel M. Wilson

@TidBitsByTiff reports Santa Monica is closed at Constellation.

Update 2:27pm (4-21-2011)

Air Force 1 has landed at LAX.

Update 2:21pm (4-21-2011)

Teresa Djedjro reports via Facebookthat there are no right turns onto Westwood from Wilshire and no left turn from Westwood onto Wilshire

Update 2:16pm (4-21-2011)

@miss_harmonious reports, “Yay! Made it thru culver city right as their closing down all the streets…seen at least 3 cars being towed by Sony studios”

Update 1:47pm (4-21-2011)

We’ve heard chatter from Twitter that they’re starting to set up in Culver City.

Sonia Tews told us via Facebookthat they’re shutting down Westwood by Pico.

A staff member of ours just drove by the Beverly Hilton.  Entrances were barricaded and there were lots of police as well as black SUVs.  It looks like we were right when we said Obama might be staying there.

Metro finally released the bus route disruptions – which we had thanks to Bob last night.

Here’s Metro’s statement:

Metro will experience potential delays and detours to bus service throughout the Westside region (various locations in Century City, Beverly Hills, West LA, Westwood & Brentwood).  This will impact specifically, but not limited to, Lines 2, 4, 16, 20, 28, 302, 316, 704, 720, 728 & 761 during any given period between early afternoon and late evening on Thursday and Lines 4 & 704 early morning on Friday.

Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus has also released a statement saying travel delays on their buses could range from 45 minutes to “several hours.”

—-

Update 12:33pm (4-21-2011)

There aren’t supposed to be any hard closures in the City of LA and they are supposed to close streets down along the way for a few minutes as need be.  However, anytime you get a disruption on any Westside street, it will ripple throughout the entire Westside.

Also – Don’t forget that La Cienega is closed at Jefferson, so don’t try to get around the mess by going that far east.

Update 12:05pm (4-21-2011)

A correction to below – we’re now learning Obama will be flown from LAX to Culver City, then driven from Culver City to Brentwood.

Update 10:34am (4-21-2011)

Make sure to follow us on Twitter and “like” us on Facebook as we will also be posting Obama and other traffic updates there as well.  Below is a recap of Obama street closure information we’ve come up with so far…

Update 8:00am (4-21-2011)

Good morning!  Here is a recap of everything we know so far

Obama will arrive at LAX around 2:45pm-3:00pm

He will then be flown by helicopter to the VA Center near Wilshire and the 405.

Obama is scheduled to be at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City around 4:30pm 5:30pm.

Culver City police say streets around the studios will be affected with closures.  This means Overland, Culver, Wasington, and Madison / Clarington

Culver City Bus Lines 1, 3, 5 also pass through or nearby the closure are and will probably be truncated, detoured or delayed

After Sony, he will be driven to Tavern in Brentwood, near San Vicente and Barrington.  He’s scheduled to arrive around 8pm.

The president will be spending the night here in the LA area.

According to information we’ve gathered, as well as prior experience, it is highly likely he will be staying at the Beverly Hilton at Santa Monica and Wilshire.

Thanks to our bus driving friend ”Bob,” these are the details he’s seen posted even though Metro hasn’t officially released them:

Line 2
Shortlines from Downtown-Sepulveda and Bundy to the Beach

Line 4
Shortline from Canon Dr to Downtown.

Line 16
Ends at Cedars

Line 20
Ends at Beverly

Line 28
Avoids Santa Monica Blvd, still starts in Century City

Line 704
Skips Santa Monica from Bundy to Beverly – Detour on Olympic

Line 720
Avoids Wilshire Bundy to Doheny

Line 761
Starts in Century City

This is what we have so far – none of it official.  Police and secret service are always tight lipped.

Update 12:18am (4-21-2011)

We’ll post a full recap of everything we know tomorrow morning, so make sure to check back.

In the meantime, a shout out to LAist and Curbed LA for including us in their stories.  They are both excellent websites and a fun read to keep up on all that is LA… so check them out!

Update 9:25pm (4-20-2011)

Got a great tip from “Bob” who is a bus driver.  He shared some insight on the closures and bus detours tomorrow:

I am a bus operator and they posted the detour notice today.

Basically from what I saw, for Line 2, Sunset is blocked from Bundy to Sepulveda with a shortline Downtown-Sepulveda and a shortline from Bundy to the beach. Line 4 ends at Canon Drive instead of Sepulveda. Line 16 ends at Cedars Sinai. Line 20 ends at Beverly. Line 28 avoids Santa Monica Boulevard, but still starts in Century City. Same with 761, which doesn’t cross Wilshire. 704 skips Santa Monica from Bundy to Beverly (detouring on Olympic) while 720 avoids Wilshire Bundy to Doheny.

So Sunset from Bundy to Sepulveda, Wilshire from Bundy to Doheny, and Santa Monica from Bundy to Beverly are questionable. I wouldn’t read much into the 16 ending at Cedars since they probably just don’t have enough space to store buses in Beverly Hills. Incidentally, this leads me to believe that POTUS is going to stay at the Beverly Hilton again. No north south closures on the Metro system, so Robertson, Beverly, and La Cienega are still open.

For those of you more visually inclined – here are the streets that the buses are being detoured away from, which most likely means car traffic will also be banned, at least for part of the time.

Bus lines that tipster bus driver Bob says he saw detours posted for. These streets will most likely be closed to auto traffic as well. It also appears POTUS will be staying at the Beverly Hilton at the intersection of Wilshire and Beverly. Map courtesy Google.

Update 6:11pm (4-20-2011)

Some details about Obama’s schedule are out.

After that he’s going to Tavern in Brentwood, but that time is unclear yet.

————-

Update 4:41pm (4-20-2011)

Metro joined in with their non-statement a few minutes ago:

Please anticipate Westside area bus delays and detours Thursday afternoon/evening and Friday morning due to road closures. Detours will be updated as they go into effect. Buses will return to their normal route as soon as roads are reopened.

Well until then… pretty much expect the biggies like 2/302, 4/704, and 20/720 to bear the brunt.

Update 3:52pm (4-20-2011)

Well our friends in Culver City just released a non-statement.

“The Culver City Police Department would like to advise the motoring public that on Thursday, April 21, 2011, there will be a special event occuring at Sony Picture Studios.  The streets in the immediate vicinity around the studio lot will be impacted by traffic delays and some street closures during the afternoon and evening hours.  Drivers should, if at all possible, avoid utilizing the streets in this area and take an alternate route.”

No duh.

Those “streets in the immediate vicinity” include Jefferson, Culver and Overland.

Also Culver City Bus Lines 1, 3, and 5 pass through the “vicinity,” and are likely to be delayed and or detoured.

See below for the possible swath of street closures in the rest of the westside.

We also got a tip from reader “Don” about FAA airspace:

According to public FAA records, the airspace around LAX is scheduled to be closed from 2:15 to 3:15 Thursday afternoon, and again from 8:30 to 9:30 Friday morning for VIP movement. It therefore seems safe to infer “where the president will land”.

So not only do we now know where he most likely be coming – he’s also going to be spending the night.  Last time he stayed overnight was at the Beverly Hilton – right there on Santa Monica and Wilshire.

——

“

Update 1:33pm (4-20-2011)

We continue to monitor, but no one is releasing information yet.  We are also working on possible transit / bus disruptions and detours due to the Obama Culver City visit.

In addition to updates on this page, also make sure to follow us on Twitter and “like” us on Facebook as we will also be posting Obama and other traffic updates there as well.

Update 11:06am (4-20-2011)

Police are still being tight lipped on any possible street closures.  Below are our best estimates based on past presidential visits.

Transit agencies for LA County (Metro) and Culver City Bus are also not telling us which bus lines will be affected – but no doubt they will.

Again, keep checking back as we monitor and update AS SOON as we get any info.

Update 2:00am (4-20-2011)

We’re still waiting for official word on closures due to the Obama visit to Culver City and Sony Pictures Studio Lot and Tavern in Brentwood, but here is a possible route that may be taken..

Map courtesy of Google Maps

A is the Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, and B is Tavern in Brentwood.

Again, there is no official word on closures yet.  At this point, we suspect anything west of Robertson and Jefferson and everything east of Bundy is liable to be closed at any time, including portions of the 405 and 10 freeways.  This may send ripple effects through all streets on the Westside.

We continue to monitor for more information, however at this point we still maintain it is just better to avoid the Westside at all on Thursday if possible.  It is also important to note that we are unsure where the President will land which may complicate matters futher.

Bookmark this page and check back as we will update as more information as it becomes available.

——

Westside and Culver City commuters better get ready to go nowhere fast.  Word is that President Obama will be returning to the Southland on the afternoon of Thursday, April 21.

Details are sketchy, but so far it appears he will make a fundraising appearance at the Sony Lot in Culver City late in the afternoon.  While exact street closures are unavailable, it is highly likely major streeets like Overland, Washington and Culver Blvd will be affected.

Afterwards he will head to the restaraunt Tavern in  Brentwood to meet another set of Hollywood big wigs.   That is located near Barrington and San Vicente, so those streets as well as Wilshire are likely to be impacted.

Oh, and the 405 freeway and perhaps the 10 are all in the path of travel.

The Secret Service hasn’t released times or other routes yet but we are continuing to monitor this situation, so make sure to keep checking back here as we’ll update you on what many are calling “Obamajam 3.”

Chris Hughes

chrish@totaltrafficla.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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