5 Freeway in Burbank to shut down for 36 hours on weekend in April for demolition, replacement of Burbank Boulevard bridge

BURBANK, Calif. (KABC) -- Caltrans officials announced Thursday that a 36-hour weekend closure of a section of the 5 Freeway as part of a project to demolish and replace an overpass will take place in late April.

The closure will be in effect for all lanes in both directions near Burbank Boulevard beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 25 until 3 a.m. Monday, April 27, according to Caltrans.

To prepare for the project, Burbank Boulevard between San Fernando Boulevard and Front Street will be closed in both directions to vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians starting at 12:01 a.m. March 14. The bridge is expected to reopen in 14 to 16 months.

The demolition will be done during a single weekend closure of the 5 Freeway for worker safety, maximum efficiency and greatest convenience to the public, as opposed to the alternative option of numerous nightly full freeway closures over a month or longer to achieve the same results, according to Caltrans.

"This will be the largest-scale freeway closure in Los Angeles County since September of 2012, when we closed I-405 in both directions in West Los Angeles,'' said Caltrans District 7 Director John Valinsky at a news conference Thursday morning.

Valinsky was referring to the closures of 10-mile sections of the 405 Freeway during weekends in July 2011 and September 2012 that were dubbed "Carmageddon'' 1 and 2.

The project will necessitate a "long-term'' street closure in the area set to begin late next week.

The schedule is weather-permitting and subject to change. Detours and project updates can be found online at My5LA.com and on Twitter at @My5LA or, for those without a Twitter account, at twitter.com/My5LA.