McClure Tunnel Fully Closing Overnight In Santa Monica

SANTA MONICA, CA — Complete overnight closures of the tunnel that connects the Santa Monica (10) Freeway to Pacific Coast Highway are scheduled to begin Monday evening, and continue through next Monday, according to Caltrans.

The full closure will allow crews to perform upgrades, officials said.

The McClure Tunnel will be closed in both directions from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly through Jan. 18, and drivers will be detoured around the tunnel using Olympic Boulevard.

Closures could change depending on the weather, according to Caltrans officials, who said the work will span a mile of the freeway between Lincoln Boulevard and the PCH Broadway Pedestrian Overpass.

Ramps from the eastbound and westbound Santa Monica (10) Freeway and PCH are expected to close mainly between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. daily. Included are the eastbound and westbound I-10 on-ramps at Lincoln Boulevard, the Fourth Street I-10 on-ramp and the off-ramp at Ocean Avenue from PCH.

Crews will update the lighting system inside the tunnel and add a speed radar.

A warning system to alert drivers to traffic inside the tunnel, which aims to reduce crashes, will be the first in Los Angeles County. It will tell drivers to slow as they approach.

New signs in the area will also be installed and new pavement will be laid in the tunnel. The cost of the project is $6.3 million.

Drivers are encouraged to use other routes during construction.

- City News Service and Patch Editor Nicole Charky contributed to this report.

#SantaMonica: Beginning tonight, construction crews will be FULLY CLOSING the McClure Tunnel this week between 11pm - 5am to set k-rail in the work zone of a tunnel lighting and safety enhancement project. Plan ahead by using the detour ! #BeWorkZoneAlert pic.twitter.com/qreO7bx4es
— Caltrans District 7 (@CaltransDist7) January 11, 2021