Stretch of 101 Freeway to be closed for 40 hours during Sixth Street Bridge demolition

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A two-mile stretch of the 101 Freeway will be shut down starting Friday night until Sunday afternoon for the demolition of the Sixth Street Viaduct.

The 101 Freeway is a vital transit route through the heart of Los Angeles, but it will be completely shut down. Transit officials are trying to get the word out as much as possible.

The demolition of the viaduct over the freeway is the first big step in replacing the historic bridge.

"We're replacing the viaduct, and the first section is going to come down this weekend, which is a 220-foot section. It's located over the 101 Freeway, so in order to do that safely we need to close the 101 Freeway for 40 hours," said Mary Nemick, director of communications for the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering.

She added that there will be Caltrans signs directing drivers to different freeways and alternate routes. While traffic is always bad in the area, it could be much worse if drivers do not plan accordingly.

The section of the freeway will be shut down on Friday at 10 p.m. and is set to reopen Sunday at 3 p.m.

Replacing the bridge will take years, and Nemick said demolishing the entire 3,500-foot viaduct will take about nine months. Construction on the viaduct will take a little more than two years.

The "101 Slow Jam," as it is being called, could make a mess of many weekend plans. To find out more about the closures and suggested alternate routes, visit sixthstreetviaduct.org.