Red Car Property Neighborhood: Signs Of The Times

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, September 15, 2017.  Last week, LA City Fire Department began posting "No Smoking, No Discarding of Burning Objects" signs in the Hillside Area surrounding the Red Car Property and Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract (above photo at Allesandro and Rosebud - the sole vehicle entrance to the steep Semi Tropic hillside).

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, September 15, 2017.  The municipal code sections are referenced on the signs, here seen at the site of the 2016 Silver Lake Fire at the end of Corralitas Drive.  The LAFD has the authority to place these signs in Hillside Areas. 

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, September 15, 2017.  While brush may be cleared in many of the areas now, brush is often often dry for months before it is cleared.   Neighbors who've seen the same signs all over the Hollywood Hills for decades, noted their more recent proliferation in Beachwood Canyon and requested the signs for our neighborhood.  Several neighbors provided a list of suggested locations to the LAFD fire marshal overseeing the placement of the signs.

Photo: Jay Lieske, September 23, 2017.  Indeed, the fire marshal compared parts of our  neighborhood to neighborhoods in the Hollywood Hills.  We have many isolated areas like this one on Adelbert, right up against brush areas on narrow winding Hillside streets with no through traffic, in addition to public staircases and paper streets that are hidden and open to the Red Car Property.

Neighbors welcomed the signs as a reminder we live in a tinder dry hillside neighborhood.  Neighbors hope the signs get the attention of smokers who carelessly discard their cigarettes in dry brush areas.  At least one neighbor documented discarded cigarettes in parts of the neighborhood in the request for signs.  Neighbors noted areas where partying, homeless camps and squatter houses have attracted problems.  

I've asked for these signs for 25 years.  I'm grateful to the Red Car Property Neighbor who was able to devote time and energy into spearheading this project to making it a reality. 

Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract: Dead Trees, Brush Clearance

Photo: Corralitas Drive Neighbor, June 13, 2017.  Dry grass on the odd slope on Allesandro St at Rosebud Ave which is actually Sunflower Ave, but the maps are out of sync with the street signs.  (click on photos to enlarge.)

The odd slope is within the CalTrans easement, but like everything surrounding the 2 Freeway, no one takes responsibility for it. More than once in 27 years,  I've seen a CalTrans crew spray the weeds with poison.

Photo: Corralitas Drive Neighbor, June 13, 2017.  Enlarged from previous photo.  Dead Eucalyptus are in the Modjeska Street right-of-way, a paper street, on an  extremely steep slope in the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract.  Looks like the Modjeska slope is in need of brush clearance too.  The City will never build  40' wide Modjeska Street right-of-way, as it is steeper than a 30% grade.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, May 22, 2016.  A year ago, the dead non-native Eucalyptus in the Modjeska paper street, were clearly evident as viewed from Corralitas Drive.  Eucalyptus trees all over the area have been dying suddenly for the past 4 years.  The Modjeska trees have been dead for more than a year.

Every year on and around the 4th of July, some idiots invariably shoot fireworks off over the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract.

Rosebud Ave & Corralitas: Homeless Guy's Camp Cleared, Returned, Vacated in In One Day

This story is told through neighbors' photos and their anonymous quotes received via text.  All photos are by five different Corralitas Neighbors.  Click on photos to enlarge.

June 6, 2017.  After six months and three couches, neighbors are fed up with the homeless guy's camp at the corner of Rosebud Ave and Corralitas Drive, under the 2 Freeway.  A number of neighbors complained about him stealing water and electricity from their front yards, public urination, fornication, dumping his trash on Corralitas, checking a doorknob on a garage, belligerently knocking on doors looking to borrow a corkscrew, potential animal abuse (dying doves red) and dumping one of his three couches on Allesandro once he got a new one.

Considering Rosebud is the only vehicle access to Corralitas Drive, it is totally understandable why neighbors were increasingly agitated seeing this guy here every day. He knows everyone's cars and schedules.  A recent increase in mail and package theft and a few break-ins on our normally quiet street has everyone on edge, regardless of whether or not the homeless guy was involved.

June 11, 2017.  Neighbors saw notices posted Friday, hoped this time the homeless guy would get the message and move on.

June 13, 2017, 8:23 AM.  Beginning around 8 AM, neighbors exercising and leaving for work, reported the Dept of Sanitation and "numerous other agencies, are supervising the homeless guy pack up his belongings."  

Neighbors were not too hopeful, since we've seen this before.  He's refused numerous offers of assistance to get off the streets from PATH, who were once again on site.

June 13, 2017, 8:23 AM. Several neighbors texted as they watched the homeless guy move his belongings in shopping carts across Allesandro.  "He's been prepared with 3 - 4 carts ready to wheel away."

Coincidentally, a June 12, 2017, LA Times story on the City settling a lawsuit  over discarding the homeless' belongings, mentions a Catholic charity handing out shopping carts to the homeless on skid row.  Neighbors still want to know who's handing out couches.

June 13, 2017.  By 9:30 AM,  the City hauled away his couch, swept the sidewalk and was gone. Any belongings that left behind that would fit in a 30 gallon trash bin would be stored for 90 days where he could retrieve them. (See City notice above.)  While the tunnel was clear, neighbors sent yet another flurry of texts, photos and a video.

June 13, 2017, 9:30 AM.  As soon as neighbors noticed his stuff parked temporarily on Rosebud across Allesandro more photos and texts came in. 

One neighbor texted "They let him take ALL HIS CARTS across Allesandro where he appears to be waiting for all to leave so he can move back in."  

Previously a neighbor questioned why he was allowed to have so many belongings blocking much of the sidewalk, exclaiming, "He's got more stuff on the sidewalk than I have in my entire apartment!"

June 13, 2017.  An hour later, the first cart full of stuff and his pet birds reappeared.  (Last time it took him three hours to reappear with a lot less stuf.) 

According to another neighbor who was driving by and stopped when he saw two "18-22 year olds were opening homeless guy's bird cage.  I asked if they knew him and they said they did.  They were helping him move back."

May 19, 2017, after outcry from multiple neighbors, LA City Dept of Animal Services determined the doves were dyed red and pink with a hair dye used on dogs, and there was no crime or animal abuse.

June 13, 2017, 12:41 PM.  Two carts and already bags of trash were appearing.  A neighbor commented she was sick of seeing him dump his trash around the corner on Corralitas.  It's not like there aren't trash cans all over the street he could use.

June 13, 2017, less than 10 minutes later he was captured on video pushing a third cart up Rosebud back to his "home."  Neighbors were hopping mad at this point.

June 13, 2017, 7 PM.  Neighbors, returning home from work, were not pleased seeing the homeless guy's carts on the sidewalk and one in the street.  Many had left the hill while the City was there in the morning.  A neighbor said, "Did some furious neighbor overturn his cart? Or did he do it?  Or did it simply roll to its demise?"
June 14, 2017, 6 AM.  Neighbors were even more surprised to see a vacant tunnel the following morning.  Neighbors reported everything was gone at 9 PM and 2:30 AM when they returned home.  

Further inquiries with neighbors indicated several had run-ins with the homeless guy in the afternoon while he was bringing his carts back.  Police were called on at least two occasions.  However, neighbors got tired of waiting and left.  So we're not sure where he's gone now. 

Allesandro Street, 2 Freeway: Motor Homes, Dumping, Unwalkable Sidewalk, Dry Brush

Photo: Corralitas Neighbor, May 11, 2017, 7 PM.  Two motor homes without license plates have been parked on Allesandro Street just south of Rosebud Ave, attracting dumping.(Click on photo to enlarge.)

This portion of Allesandro to Riverside Drive was a part of a "No Overnight Parking Zone," but the signs directly across from the controversial Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract 15-lot subdivision mysteriously disappeared when it was under construction.

Neither the City nor CalTrans takes care of the sidewalk adjacent to the 2 Freeway.  But then, it's not a real sidewalk, despite the City building ADA compliant ramps at all the intersections on Allesandro in the 1990s.  It's still a narrow strip of asphalt in a curb.  The lack of street addresses prevent all but the most persistent neighbors from getting dumping removed by the City.  Weeds, trash, dumping and telephone poles blocking the extremely narrow sidewalk are a challenge for any pedestrian.

CalTrans insists the "sidewalks" adjacent their freeways are the City's responsibility.  If homeowners are supposed to maintain the sidewalk adjacent to their homes, shouldn't CalTrans have the same responsibility? 

Wonder if CalTrans will be doing the brush clearance up on their parkway since it can no longer be seen from the northbound 2 Freeway due to the sound wall.

2 Freeway: CalTrans Picked Up Trash

Photo: Corralitas Neighbor, August 25, 2016.  A CalTrans crew picked up trash the CalTrans crew of tree trimmers left behind last week.  The neighbor said in a text "There were CalTrans people all over the bottom of the hill, along the highway and under the bridge [Rosebud] cleaning and working when I left this morning. "

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 20, 2016.  Remarkably, the Silver Lake Fire, which burned most of the 2 Freeway parkways between the Red Car Property and Riverside Drive, did not burn this part of the parkway from Rosebud & Allesandro to Riverside Drive where the Brazillian Pepper Trees were a pretty solid wall of green.  Neighbors were sad to see the green go last week.  CalTrans left the first enormous Eucalyptus in this shot, the same tree is still standing in the first photo.  It is the tree where the Red Tailed Hawks have a nest near the top third of the tree.  The hawks returned with fledglings to the nest on the night of the fire. 
 

2 Freeway: CalTrans Butchers Trees, Leaves Piles Of Trash

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, August 15, 2016.  CalTrans began cutting down Brazilian Pepper Trees on the northbound lanes of the 2 Freeway that were NOT burned by the Silver Lake Fire on June 19, 2016, yet left the load of trash on the slope.  For scale - that retaining wall along Allesandro Street is about 6 feet tall.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

It should come as no surprise that CalTrans removed the trees northeast of the Rosebud Overpass at Allesandro.  I had to call their government relations flak shortly after the fire to ensure he was aware the giant tree where the Red Tail Hawks nest (the first large tree on the left) was not even scorched in the fire.  At the time,  he was not sure if the tree was destined for removal.  Trees were evaluated by CalTrans tree experts and biologists. 

A month ago, the CalTrans rep told me they would be removing trees that were a danger to their roads and drivers.  They are not in the landscape business, it is not their job to make make it attractive for neighbors.  (Mitigations for living next to a freeway be damned.)  In the past few weeks, neighbors alerted the tree removal crews to the longstanding hawk nest as well.

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, August 15, 2016.  If you look closely in this section alone, there appear to be at least 3 clumps of Brazilian Pepper Trees removed.  As of today, the trash was still there.  We don't know what was under the sawdust.  

CalTrans will not be planting new trees. 

August 22, 2016, UPDATE: A neighbor forwarded a service request sent to CalTrans to pick up the trash on the 2 Freeway.  You can file service requests on CalTrans' website.

Rosebud Ave: Moved For Freeway Construction, 1961

Photo: Smith, 1961.  Prior to freeway construction, Rosebud Ave used to go straight across from Corralitas Drive, cross Allesandro and up the Semi Tropic Spiritualists Tract.  They created a dogleg (to ease the steep rise in Rosebud) from Allesandro to Rosebud and Sunflower on the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract side of the 2 Freeway. 

On the Corralitas side (this vantage point), Rosebud was moved a couple hundred feet south (to the right), where Rosebud presently crosses under the 2 Freeway, ending at the Corralitas Public Staircase.

It's difficult to match this shot today because of the trees on the 2 Freeway (foreground) and homes on Corralitas Drive. The 5 Freeway (on the left) is also under construction on the left side of this photo.  

Click here for all the 2 Freeway History related posts.

Rosebud Ave Under SR2 Freeway: Looks Like A Stolen Car Torched

Photo: Eli Shamszadeh, April 11, 2016.  (Photos shot between 10:13 to 10:35 PM.)  It's disturbing when you try to turn the corner on the only access road to Corralitas and you find a truck on fire under the 2 Freeway on Rosebud Ave.  One neighbor left the hill at 9:50 PM, only to return 15-20 minutes later to this scene.

Texts and emails came in around 10:20PM as frustrated Corralitas neighbors heard what they thought was an accident, explosions and lots of black smoke. Neighbors called 911 before contacting me.   After I put out word to the Corralitas Neighborhood Watch list, more reports from neighbors and photos came in. 

Photo: Eli Shamszadeh, April 11, 2016.  Shamszadeh shot photos from a safe distance across Allesandro Street from the Rosebud underpass while he waited to get up the hill. 

Photo: Eli Shamszadeh, April 11, 2016.  According to another neighbor, LAFD rolled up on Rosebud without sirens.  We know it's a torched stolen car because 1. there is no parking anytime under the SR 2 Freeway on Rosebud, and 2. this used to happen almost weekly in the early 1990s.  It's been so long since we've had one, at least one longtime neighbor on the 2 Freeway side of the hill thought it sounded like a horrible accident.

Photo: Eli Shamszadeh, April 11, 2016. According to Shamszadeh, by 10:48 PM, LAFD was gone and Rosebud was open again.  

While there have been very few torched stolen cars under the 2 Freeway in the last 10 years, the last one we documented was in 2007. 

Corralitas Walk: Scenic, Yet Ominous Sky

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, October 25, 2015. Corralitas Walk is a 9'8" wide, public "walk street."  In other words, it's a City sidewalk with no street.  It was created as mitigation for the 2 Freeway taking the alternate vehicle access to Corralitas Drive from Allesandro Street. Corralitas Walk connects pedestrians and bicyclists Corralitas Drive to the corner of Lake View Ave and Allesandro Way. 
 

Lake View Ave: No Parking For A Loading Zone, Saturday October 24, 2015, Rose Scharlin's Halloween Hullaballoo

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, October 22, 2015.  The City Dept of Transportation (DOT) posted No Parking 12 PM to 9 PM, Saturday Only, along the entire street frontage of Rose Scharlin Co-Op Nursery School, a total of 7 parking spaces on Lake View Ave.  (Click on photos to enlarge.) 

The school obtained a temporary no parking permit from the DOT for the street in front of their property, as any property owner can do.  

There is no parking allowed on the Red Car Property.  The Red Car Property is not a park, nor is it a public roadway.  It is private property. 

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, October 22, 2015.  Parking is only allowed on the east side of Lake View Ave, a designated Hillside Steet. Rose Scharlin is on the east side of the street.  Many homes in our neighborhood, built in the 1920s and 1930s, were built with just one off-street parking space.

Joy Pae, current board president of Rose Scharlin, explained in an email, setting aside the street adjacent the school's property was the best way to alleviate truck traffic during deliveries and, "During the event, that area will be used for drop off and pick up to encourage people to use services like Uber and to drop off their families then park farther away such as on Allesandro and Riverside."  

Pae will don a witch's hat and monitor the front of the school during the event to help keep things moving on Lake View. 

SR-2 Freeway: Northbound Lanes Closed At Night

Photo: Diane Edwardson, March 26, 2015.  A 12' sound wall is not going to help the top floor of that apartment building on Allesandro St.  We made that point, in writing, during the EIR process for the SR-2 Terminus Project in 2009.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

CalTrans announced another round of nighttime lane closures on the Northbound 2 Freeway in conjunction with sound wall construction.  Before they started working at night last month, I let them know the hawks were nesting  - with photos - and they promptly scared off the hawks by starting work directly below the tree with the hawks' nest.  Text of the press release follows:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GLENDALE FREEWAY SR-2 SOUNDWALL PROJECT

LOS ANGELES / ECHO PARK - The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announced construction of the soundwall along the Glendale Freeway (SR-2) between Oak Glen Place and Rosebud Avenue. Closures are as follows and subject to change.

Saturday, May 10, through Friday, May 15
Northbound SR-2
8 p.m. to 6 a.m. – Up to two lanes between Glendale Blvd SR-2 and Golden State Freeway I-5 
7 p.m. to 6 a.m. – On and Off Ramps & Connector to I-5 CLOSED between Glendale Blvd SR-2 and Golden State Freeway I-5

Construction dust and noise is anticipated as crews excavate and remove dirt, grind surface layers of pavement and perform other related tasks.

Detours will be posted.  Minor delays are expected.  The California Highway Patrol will be on duty.  Peterson-Chase Construction is the contractor on this $8.6 million project which is expected to complete in early 2016.

 # # #

According to the press release, more info:

www.dot.ca.gov/dist07

caltransd7info.blogspot.com

twitter.com/#!/CaltransDist7
peter.jones@dot.ca.gov

Historic Landmark Landacre Cabin & Grounds: Big Parade LA Walking By Today

Photo: Andrew Sears, 2005.  Preeminent 20th Century wood-block print artist carved a petrel, his signature bird into the eaves of his cabin in Elysian Heights hidden in the oak trees in the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract where he lived from 1925 to 1963.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

The City declared Landacre's cabin and grounds a cultural historic landmark in 2005.  Landacre took inspiration from what was a spiritual place neighborhood with dramatic light.  Sadly much of the character of the community fell to a developer's chainsaws and bulldozers in 2011-2013.  Now the tree filled hillside from which Landacre drew inspiration now has an Orange County office park aesthetic.  

The Big Parade LA is the epic urban hike from Hike from Downtown to Hollywood featuring 32 miles and  86 public staircases. It's free, fun and festive.  Join for a few miles, staircases, a day or both days. Info, routes and everything you need to know about the Big Parade: http://bigparadela.tumblr.com/

Corralitas Drive: We've Been Through Grading Hell Before

Photo: Kleven, 1960.  Corralitas Drive used to have a secondary outlet to the south on Allesandro Street between Whitmore and Walcott, past modest homes with grassy front yards, where children played beneath large shade trees.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Kleven, 1961.  Within a year, homes were removed (some were moved to other parts of the neighborhood),  trees cut down and the State moved countless thousands of cubic yards of earth from the Red Car Property and other area vacant hillside lots to grade for the 2 & 5 Freeways. 

We've looked at the  photographic history of 2 Freeway through our neighborhood primarily through unique images contributed by long time neighbors of the Red Car Property.  Click here for all our 2 Freeway History posts.
 

SR-2 Freeway: We're On Hawkwatch

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 24, 2015, 11:59 AM.  I observed one of the hawks flying in and out of the nest a few times around noon today. Other than that the adults were scarce today.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Last night CalTrans was working from at least 9 PM to well after 1 AM, 50 to 75 feet from the tree where the Red Tailed Hawks are nesting.  I got a call from Peter Jones, the PR guy from CalTrans, first thing this morning.  He said a couple of biologists would be in the area to observe and make recommendations regarding the nesting hawks.  (Shouldn't that have happened yesterday, especially after our conversation, Wednesday?)

I told Jones where CalTrans worked last night, pointed out the photo I posted early this morning, and said I had not yet seen the hawks today.  It's not unusual for the adults to be away from the nest hunting when they've got chicks to feed.  However, this is a new pair of adults hawks using the nest this year, so we are concerned about construction noise and light spooking them.

Around noon, I saw one of the adults fly in and out of the nest a couple of times.  It walked around the edge, looking into the center, but exhibited no feeding behavior.  When it left the nest, it flew to a tree in between the north and southbound lanes of the 2 Freeway where it likely could keep an eye on the nest.  It was very aware that I was watching through binoculars.  When I would put the binoculars down, it would fly back to the nest.  When it realized I was watching it in the nest again, making eye contact with me, it would fly to the nearby tree, trying to distract me from the nest.  I put the binoculars away after 10 minutes to not stress the hawk further. 

SR-2 Freeway: So Much For That Buffer Zone For The Nesting Raptors

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 24, 2015, 10:09 PM.  That construction zone is 50' from the tree with the nest in it.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Sure looks like that 10' tall sound wall is going to Rosebud.  Every meeting for the past two years CalTrans and Metro representatives were vague about where exactly the wall was ending - El Moran or Rosebud.  Tell the truth when asked a direct question. Don't waste our time.   And they wonder why people get angry.

According to the conversation I had Wednesday, with Peter Jones and Patrick Chandler from CalTrans, they would not be cutting down any more trees for the sound walls between Oak Glen and Rosebud on the northbound side of the 2 Freeway. 

We'll be watching.  

We've written far too much about the sound walls.  Click here for all of it.

 

SR-2 Freeway: Nesting Hawks Are Watching Us Too

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, April 23, 2015.  All day long, both adult Red Tails were flying in and out of the nest, tearing strips of meat off of a prey animal, appearing to feed babies in the nest.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Just before noon, both Gary & I were shooting photos from our respective houses, texting each other, and managed to capture images of the hawks moments apart.  In Gary's photo (above), both hawks are looking in my direction. Yes, they are that observant.  Through years of observing our neighborhood hawks, I've learned, during nesting season, they are very alert to us when we are watching the nest through long camera lenses or binoculars.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 23, 2015, 11:54 AM.  Seconds after Gary shot the first photograph, I managed to catch the smaller of the two Red Tails taking off from the branch it was standing on. 

Unfortunately, the hazy weather, distance and wind blowing the Eucalyptus makes getting a sharp photo from Corralitas difficult.  

We've also noticed this is a new pair of Red Tailed Hawks using the nest.  The old pair who'd used the nest for many years were very vocal, announcing their presence constantly.  They kept such a routine schedule, you could set your watch by them.  The current pair is very quiet, almost as if they don't want the old pair to return and find them there.  
 

SR-2 Freeway: Active Raptor Nest At Rosebud Ave, Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract

*UPDATE at end of post

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 21, 2015, 5:34 PM.  Late yesterday, I witnessed a large Red Tailed Hawk appear to feed her chicks in the well-documented nest, high above Allesandro St and Rosebud Ave on the SR-2 Northbound Parkway.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Yesterday, CalTrans sent out a press release, they would be starting night work on the northbound sound walls between Oak Glen and Rosebud, Thursday, April 23, 2015.  CalTrans stays up to 1000' from raptor nests.  So we've sent this post to their public affairs manager for the SR-2 Terminus Project, Peter Jones, as well as State and local electeds.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 22, 2015, 1:40PM. This afternoon, I happened to look out the window and notice the adult Red Tail was feeding chicks again.  I shot photos for about 10 minutes.  

Ordinarily, I would wait to run better photos.  With construction starting tomorrow, it was better to run these today, Earth Day.  

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 22, 2015, 1:41 PM.  I've seen a couple of white blobs periodically while she's feeding them, but no definitive head count yet.  It usually takes a few days before we see them all.  Lighting and wind conditions have not been ideal for my sad little camera.

*UPDATE 6:15 PM: Peter Jones, CalTrans Public Affairs Manager for the SR-2 Terminus Project, called to say CalTrans would be complying with all State and Federal statutes with regard to migratory and nesting birds.  They are aware of this nesting site and have forwarded the information to the biologist assigned to the project.  The biologist will monitor and make recommendations.  

Read more about CalTrans policy on nesting birds: CalTrans District 7 Blog

SR-2 Freeway: Sound Wall Noisy, Dusty Construction Starts Thursday Night, April 23

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 13, 2013.  CalTrans never told us how many trees they're cutting down for the sound wall project.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Yesterday afternoon, CalTrans sent out a press release regarding nighttime grinding, digging and creating dust on the northbound lanes of the 2 Freeway.  Of course, at night, you can (and should) call 1-800-CUT-SMOG to complain to the AQMD about fugitive dust, but you'll just have to leave a message.  

Through the years, we've written extensively about the (now $8.6 million) sound walls as a part of the 2 Freeway Terminus Project.  Click here for all our sound wall posts.

The entire press release from CalTrans follows...

State of California  Department of Transportation
____________________________________________________
NEWS RELEASE

Today's Date:                              Tuesday, April 21, 2015
District 7:                                     Los Angeles & Ventura Counties      
Contact:                                       Peter Jones
Phone:                                          (213) 897-3656
www.dot.ca.gov/dist07

caltransd7info.blogspot.com

twitter.com/#!/CaltransDist7

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GLENDALE FREEWAY SR-2 SOUNDWALL PROJECT

LOS ANGELES / ECHO PARK - The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announced construction of the soundwall along the Glendale Freeway (SR-2) between Oak Glen Place and Rosebud Avenue. Closures are as follows and subject to change.

Thursday, April 23, through Friday, April 24

Northbound SR-2

8 p.m. to 6 a.m. – Up to two lanes between Glendale Blvd SR-2 and Golden State Freeway I-5

7 p.m. to 6 a.m. – On and Off Ramps & Connector to I-5 CLOSED between Glendale Blvd SR-2 and Golden State Freeway I-5  

Construction dust and noise is anticipated as crews excavate and remove dirt, grind surface layers of pavement and perform other related tasks.

Detours will be posted. Minor delays are expected. The California Highway Patrol will be on duty. Peterson-Chase Construction is the contractor on this $8.6 million project which is expected to complete in early 2016.

Caltrans advises motorists to please “Be Work Zone Alert”.
-# # #-

2 Freeway: Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Hawk Nest Active Again

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, April 21, 2015, 4:24 PM.  We've seen this behavior before.  An adult Red Tailed Hawk was perched on the edge of the nest, making eye contact with something in the nest.  It appears babies have hatched.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

I'd noticed this adult Red Tail hanging standing on the nest at the corner of Allesandro St and Rosebud for the past week in the late afternoons.  I shot some photos too, but the photos need further review, as it appears the hawk is tearing up prey for it's babies. 

We'll be on watch to confirm chicks in the nest.  But we've documented this behavior before.  

CalTrans starts noisy work on the 2 Freeway sound walls tomorrow night.

Corralitas Walk: It's A "Walk Street"

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 4, 2015.  Corralitas Walk is the public sidewalk running parallel to the 2 Freeway between Corralitas Drive and Allesandro Way, adjacent to the southern end of the Red Car Property.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

We got the sidewalk as mitigation for the 2 Freeway cutting off Corralitas Drive from secondary access to Allesandro Street.