Originally Posted by Cory W

The 405 is totally and completely abused on a daily basis. Without it functioning, it shuts down travel north and south (between the valley and West LA) and shuts down LAX travel which would be north bound. The 405 / 10 is the second busiest interchange in the world. The 405 / 101 is second (this stat is 10 years old, mind you). All the cars that would normally use the 405 for LAX to / fro, the Valley, Orange County, Santa Barbara will be diverted, much of which will divert into thoroughfares in West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. None of which can closely fit this traffic. On a typical Saturday, the 5 freeway is at a standstill, and that's with a functioning 405.When President Obama had a piece of the 10 freeway shut down last summer for an hour, it created a 3 hour drive from Beverly Hills to Brentwood. That's typically done in 20 minutes. That was the 10.

The poor layout of Los Angeles is the key component here.

The city planning crew is under fire to get this done in two days (before Monday). If they do not, heads will roll, public outcry will destroy reputations, and business will lose business and employees. So the city has launched an outreach program to encourage people from driving (hence, the drama). Its the best option they have, and they have done a great job.