Updated: Freeway Reopened After Ruptured Gas Line Causes 405 Sigalert, Chokes Side Streets in Seal Beach, Long Beach

One of the worst traffic nightmares in local memory—backing up cars from the Garden Grove (22) and San Diego (405) freeway connectors into surface streets of five cities—was finally clearing by 9 p.m. Wednesday. Gridlock was created in the cities of Seal Beach and Long Beach nearest the nexus of a trio of freeways; Huntington Beach, Garden Grove and Westminster also had major traffic jams around the freeways.

The southbound 405 to the eastbound Garden Grove Freeway (22) connector and portions of Valley View Street and Bolsa Chica Road had been closed from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. after a freeway construction crew ruptured a gas main, said California Highway Patrol Officer Gabe Montoya. Because of the backup on the 405, motorists were stuck on the major streets in Seal Beach and Long Beach for hours; the traffic reached all the way down into Huntington Beach, Westminster and Garden Grove during the evening rush hour.

“This is the worst traffic we’ve ever had,” said Roger Williams. Williams was driving his L3 Communications co-workers' ride-share van from Torrance toward Irvine when they hit the rush-hour traffic. Williams’ carpool left Torrance at 4 p.m. and headed down Pacific Coast Highway in an effort to avoid the 405 Sigalert. Two hours later, they had made it to the intersection at Seal Beach Boulevard and Westminster Avenue when the van had to stop for bathroom and restroom breaks. Traffic on Westminster Avenue was at a standstill, ensuring it would take the carpool at least a half hour to get to the next light at Valley View Street.

Drivers used every route possible to escape the traffic to little avail, and every major street in Seal Beach was tied up in rush-hour traffic. Pacific Coast Highway, Westminster Avenue, Lampson Avenue and Seal Beach Boulevard crawled along just after 6 p.m. Frustrated drivers honked and yelled while sitting at green lights without being able to move forward because of traffic congestion. It took a half hour to move two lanes to the left on PCH, which was in utter gridlock at the Long Beach-Seal Beach border.

 “The 405 has not been a pleasant place for traffic for southland drivers today,” the CHP’s Montoya said. “The problem is that it was a large pipe with about eight different valves that needed to be located and shut down,” Montoya said.

Because of danger posed by the burst line, portions of Valley View Street and Garden Grove Boulevard along with the 22 connector had to be entirely closed down, Montoya said. Unlike last year’s San Bruno gas main burst that exploded, killing several people and destroying several homes, this one was in an open area, and the sources of ignition were quickly turned off, Montoya added.