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LA traffic steers clear of ‘Carmageddon’ fears

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles mayor says a 10-mile (16-kilometer) stretch of one of the nation’s busiest freeways will reopen beginning at about 11:30 a.m. (1830 GMT) because bridge work on the roadway was completed 16 hours ahead of schedule.

There have been no major problems since Interstate 405 was shut down at midnight Friday, despite warnings of the “Carmageddon” of traffic jams.

At a Sunday morning news conference, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa praised contractors for working so quickly and thanked city residents for heeding calls to stay off the roads.

Crews finished demolition work on the bridge at about 7 a.m., toppling two massive pillars.

The California Department of Transportation said earlier Sunday the 405 could be fully reopened as early as 3 p.m. Sunday.

The freeway previously was scheduled to reopen at 5 a.m. Monday