Scheduled pavement repair work will close a section of the Santa Ana (5) Freeway in the Downey area this weekend and the following weekend, authorities said Friday.
The planned repair work in the southern part of the county will be carried out even though storms caused flooding and mudslides that blocked roadways in the north county overnight, the California Highway Patrol reported.
The southbound 5 Freeway between Slauson Avenue and Paramount Boulevard will be closed between 2 and 6 a.m. on Saturday each weekend, Caltrans said.
Beginning at 11 p.m. Saturday each weekend, the entire freeway will be closed between Slauson Avenue and Paramount Boulevard, along with connector roads from the San Gabriel River (605) Freeway.
This weekend, the northbound freeway will reopen at 5 a.m. Sunday and the southbound freeway will reopen at 9 a.m. Sunday.
The following weekend, the northbound freeway will reopen at 7 a.m. Sunday and the southbound freeway will reopen at 10 a.m. Sunday.
Rapid-set concrete will be used to shorten curing time.
The work is part of a project to repair the Rio Hondo Bridge, which was damaged by a fire in a transient encampment beneath the structure in July.
Detour signs will be posted warning motorists of the work. For more information, go to the website www.dot.ca.gov/dist07/rio-hondo/ .
—City News Service