Countdown to Carmageddon

I guess "carmageddon" is sticking, despite my attempts to coin "autopocalypse" or my pal Christy's even better "cartastrophe."

But CARMAGEDDON it is. CARMAGEDDON PEOPLE. WE'RE ALL GOING TO BE STUCK IN OUR HOMES NEXT WEEKEND!

Or maybe not. There's a strong feeling out there that the roads will rival the 1984 Olympics -- when motorists, afraid of all the traffic warnings, stayed clear... leaving the freeways remarkably smooth.

Team Franklin Avenue plans to stay as FAR AWAY from the 405 as possible next weekend... the benefits of living far, far away from the west side.

In case you're still in the dark about CARMAGEDDON 2011, UCLA and KCET will produce the special "COUNTDOWN TO CARMAGEDDON: The 405 Closure." Details:

Produced by UCLA’s University Communications and Public Outreach department, the 30-minute program is scheduled to air on KCET as a special broadcast of the award-winning news program SoCal Connected. The first airing is set for Wednesday, July 13, at 8 p.m. The show will repeat on Friday, July 15, at 9:30 p.m.

COUNTDOWN TO CARMAGEDDON: The 405 Closure presents the reasons for the freeway’s 53-hour closure and the unprecedented steps ordered by public officials to avoid severe traffic delays across the region. The program will also explore the potential long-term benefits to commuters of modernizing the freeway.

The program details the impact of the 405 shutdown through informative graphics and discussions with senior officials of Metro, the California Highway Patrol, the Los Angeles Police Department and UCLA, a major employer in the closure zone.

LA Observed's Kevin Roderick, who also serves as director of the UCLA Newsroom, will narrate.