Here’s the press release from Caltrans, hot off the presses. The project involves building a carpool lane on the northbound 405 from the Santa Monica Freeway to the Ventura Freeway.

The release:

FULL FREEWAY CLOSURES TO BEGIN NEXT WEEK ON I-405

WEST LOS ANGELES – The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will close all lanes of the northbound San Diego Freeway (I-405) from National Boulevard to Wilshire Boulevard nightly beginning Monday, January 11 through Friday, January 15 between midnight and 5 a.m.

The closures are necessary to enable striping work as part of the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV, or carpool) lane construction on northbound I-405 between the Santa Monica Freeway (I-10) and the Ventura Freeway (U.S. 101).

Intermittent closures will take place for the following eight weeks to accommodate striping and placement of temporary concrete barriers (K-rail).

When this project, also known as the Sepulveda Pass widening, is completed in 2013, motorists will be able to use the carpool lane in both directions of I-405 from the San Fernando Valley to Orange County. HOV lanes have been shown to save users one minute per mile during peak commute times.