Offramp

A man suffered scrapes and cuts Monday afternoon after his Jeep overturned on the North Glendale Avenue offramp of the westbound Ventura (134) Freeway, according to the California Highway Patrol. He was exiting the freeway when he overtook the turn, causing his Jeep Cherokee to overturn, CHP officials said.

Robert Chacon Lacking a focal point for their community, Crescenta Valley Town Council members have approved design plans to beautify the unincorporated area's only Foothill (210) Freeway offramp at La Crescenta Avenue. The beautification design includes four crescents made of river stones from the surrounding San Gabriel Mountains, native plants and flowers and a sign displaying the name of the community. The change would replace the stretch of blacktop at the end of the La Crescenta Avenue offramp.

NORTHWEST GLENDALE — A law enforcement officer shot a man shortly before noon Tuesday on the eastbound Ventura (134) Freeway Pacific Avenue offramp, Glendale police said. The man was transported to County-USC Medical Center, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. The condition of the man, who Lorenz did not identify, was not yet known. He was shot in the upper body during a struggle with an officer with a law enforcement agency that Lorenz did not identify because the investigation was too nascent, although he said it was not Glendale Police.

CITY HALL — The massive $44-million Fairmont Avenue flyover bridge project will now likely include a widening of the Central Avenue offramp for the eastbound Ventura (134) Freeway, following months of negotiations between city and state officials. The Central Avenue project had been tossed due to cost concerns, but after it became apparent that the bridge would come in under budget by about $3 million, city officials began negotiating with the California Department of Transportation on how to spend the difference.

GLENDALE — A state parole officer shot a parolee Tuesday near the eastbound Pacific Avenue offramp for the Ventura (134) Freeway, closing the ramp to traffic well into the afternoon, police said. The man, who authorities did not identify, was transported to County-USC Medical Center, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. The condition of the man was not available as of Tuesday evening. Lorenz said the man was shot in the upper body during a struggle with the state parole officer.

Buck Wargo CITY HALL -- Without committing any city funds, Glendale officials have promised Fern Lane residents to work toward getting a freeway offramp at the Glendale Sports Complex. The City Council voted 4-1 Tuesday night to meet with Caltrans and state representatives to get support for funding and constructing an onramp and offramp at the athletic complex. Since the park opened in June 1999, residents have been upset about the additional traffic on their street and want a freeway ramp to divert it. Residents want the ramp as long as Fern Lane is closed to traffic from the freeway and sports park.

Everybody wants traffic to keep moving, but nobody wants it moving through their backyard. After realizing that Glendale's longtime plans for putting an offramp near the planned Disney project were going ahead, neighbors stepped forward to complain. Too late. There are a few issues at play. Namely, the plan has been well publicized and is simply what needs to be done to handle the expected increase in traffic. The planned Flower Street offramp from the Ventura (134)

It is a disgust that I exit the Brand offramp of the Ventura (134) Freeway each afternoon around 4:30 p.m. to find the city sprinklers shooting water sporadically, causing a major safety hazard. Glendale must use better oversight in its management of the watering of public greenery. Each evening, as commuters scurry to get in and out of the city, the onramp and offramp sprinklers are in full operation. The sprinklers are not operating efficiently as it seems most of the water is shooting into the street, striking cars and pedestrians.

A broken water main is expected to keep the intersection of Glenoaks Boulevard and Chevy Chase Drive closed for several days after resulting in a 7-foot deep, 20-by-20-foot sinkhole. The main burst about 6 p.m. Monday, causing underground flooding, Glendale Police spokeswoman Officer Leticia Chang said. The intersection of Glenoaks and Chevy Chase and blocks leading to the intersection were closed to traffic Tuesday, she said. The damage was so extensive that it caused flooding on the Holly Drive offramp from the Glendale (2)

The eastbound and westbound off-ramps at Western Avenue along the southbound Golden State (5) Freeway will be closed for 60 days, tentatively beginning on March 24, according to Caltrans officials. The closure is part of a project to construct a carpool lane along the freeway between the Ventura (134) Freeway and Magnolia Boulevard. Crews will be removing the asphalt pavement on the off-ramps and replacing it with concrete, according to Caltrans. Daytime work will be done from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., though while the concrete is being poured work may continue until 5 p.m. Nighttime work will be done between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. The eastbound and westbound off-ramps at Alameda Avenue can be used as an alternative route, Caltrans officials said.

The family and friends of the Washington state man found dead on a Burbank off-ramp this week remembered him as a fun-loving sports fanatic.  The man, Lee Clifford Morris of Richland, Wash., was a 26-year veteran pilot for the airline. His  body was discovered  along the southbound Scott Road off-ramp Tuesday evening by a passerby. Morris landed at  Bob Hope  Airport on Monday and was scheduled to fly out at 7 a.m. Tuesday, but when he didn't report to work, airline officials contacted the hotel where he was staying.

State transportation officials say the northbound Golden State (I-5) Freeway off-ramp to Western Avenue in Glendale will be closed this weekend as crews finish up a paving and striping project. The ramp closure will start at 9 p.m. Friday and end at 6 a.m. Monday, according to the California Department of Transportation. The construction is part of the realignment of the northbound Interstate 5-Western Avenue interchange, with the ramps slated to start and end at the Flower Street intersection.

A man suffered scrapes and cuts Monday afternoon after his Jeep overturned on the North Glendale Avenue offramp of the westbound Ventura (134) Freeway, according to the California Highway Patrol. He was exiting the freeway when he overtook the turn, causing his Jeep Cherokee to overturn, CHP officials said.

Tenants for about a half-dozen apartment buildings who were evacuated after authorities discovered a possible pipe bomb in the intersection of Harvey Drive and Wilson Terrace were allowed to return about 9 a.m. after it was determined to be a false alarm. The pipe was capped at either end, but a Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department bomb squad discovered that it was empty. The scare shut down multiple streets and offramps for the Glendale (2) and Ventura (134) freeways during the morning commute, and prompted authorities to evacuate several nearby apartment complexes as a precaution.

CITY HALL — The massive $44-million Fairmont Avenue flyover bridge project will now likely include a widening of the Central Avenue offramp for the eastbound Ventura (134) Freeway, following months of negotiations between city and state officials. The Central Avenue project had been tossed due to cost concerns, but after it became apparent that the bridge would come in under budget by about $3 million, city officials began negotiating with the California Department of Transportation on how to spend the difference.

GLENDALE ? A 23-year-old parolee has been charged with trying to kill a state parole agent, who shot him during a scrap Sept. 1 on the Pacific Avenue offramp at the Ventura (134) Freeway, officials said. The parolee, Miguel Herrera, is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 20 to face one count of attempted murder and one count of threatening to hurt state Parole Agent Luis Sanchez, according to a criminal complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. Herrera is being held without bail in a Los Angeles County jail.

GLENDALE — A state parole officer shot a parolee Tuesday near the eastbound Pacific Avenue offramp for the Ventura (134) Freeway, closing the ramp to traffic well into the afternoon, police said. The man, who authorities did not identify, was transported to County-USC Medical Center, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. The condition of the man was not available as of Tuesday evening. Lorenz said the man was shot in the upper body during a struggle with the state parole officer.

NORTHWEST GLENDALE — A law enforcement officer shot a man shortly before noon Tuesday on the eastbound Ventura (134) Freeway Pacific Avenue offramp, Glendale police said. The man was transported to County-USC Medical Center, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. The condition of the man, who Lorenz did not identify, was not yet known. He was shot in the upper body during a struggle with an officer with a law enforcement agency that Lorenz did not identify because the investigation was too nascent, although he said it was not Glendale Police.