I-405 carpool lane to open through Sepulveda Pass

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- It's a big day for Southland commuters -- the new northbound 405 Freeway carpool lane through the Sepulveda Pass is opening Friday morning.

The carpool lane on the 405 Freeway, between the 10 and 101 freeways, is set to open after more than four years of construction. The project started back in 2009; about 300,000 commuters have driven by it every day since then. Around 4 a.m. Friday, that lane will finally be open.

That means the carpool lane will now run from Orange County to the north San Fernando Valley, which is the longest continuous HOV lane in the country.

The total cost for this project is $1.1 billion -- more than $100 million over budget. And it is finishing a year behind schedule.

Caltrans says this new lane will save carpoolers one minute per mile during rush hour.

The most complicated part of the new lane was rebuilding and expanding the Mulholland Bridge. Finishing all this has led us all down a long and strange road, which included Carmageddons 1 and 2.

A Metro spokesperson says the construction isn't over yet. There will continue to be improvement projects and lane closures throughout the rest of the year.