Following the removal of the McFadden Avenue bridge in Huntington Beach in August, the Slater Avenue bridge in Fountain Valley will be the next to be demolished as part of the I-405 Improvement Project. More than 18 bridges will be built, widened, or replaced as part of the project, which will add one regular lane in each direction between SR-73 and I-605 and a second lane in each direction in the center of the freeway that will combine with the existing carpool lanes to form the 405 Express Lanes.
The Slater Avenue bridge is now set to be demolished and rebuilt in one stage rather than two, as originally proposed. Completing the bridge in one stage is expected to take approximately 12 months rather than 18 months or more for two stages.
This will allow the new bridge to be opened to public six months sooner than anticipated. This news was provided to more than 40 attendees at a Sept. 15 neighborhood meeting at Valley Vista High School in Fountain Valley.
The Slater Avenue bridge will be completely closed to motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians on Sept. 21, and demolition is expected to begin on Sept. 29.
Partial demolition of the Goldenwest Street and Magnolia Street bridges is anticipated for November. Both of these bridges will remain open to traffic during construction.
For more information about the I-405 Improvement Project, bridge demolitions, and detours, click here.