Metro will fully close the southbound I-405 on-ramp and off-ramp at eastbound Wilshire Boulevard at 10 p.m. Friday, November 6. They stay closed until 5 a.m. Monday, November 9. Before October, a closure like this would simply have meant a long detour. This weekend the Bruin Theater's marquee is lit again at Broxton and Weyburn, the Hammer has free films on its calendar, and the Fowler opens a new exhibition on Friday night. For the first time since 2024, Westwood has enough going on inside the Village to fill a weekend without the freeway.
What closes, and for how long
Metro's construction notice is short, and the details matter more than the headline:
- Full closure. The southbound I-405 on-ramp and off-ramp to eastbound Wilshire close from 10 p.m. Friday, November 6, through 5 a.m. Monday, November 9. That's about 55 hours.
- Detours. Metro is sending freeway traffic to Santa Monica Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard.
- The week before. Nightly closures of the same ramps, from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., ran through Thursday, November 5. During that prep work, the eastbound Wilshire curb lane west of the on-ramp was closed, and so was the eastbound on-ramp from Bonsall Avenue to Wilshire.
- Sidewalks. Metro expects no sidewalk closures or pedestrian impacts from this job.
- Backup weekend. Metro has reserved 10 p.m. Friday, November 13, through 5 a.m. Monday, November 16, in case the work isn't finished.
Metro's October 14 community meeting presentation listed both November weekends as planned full closures. The newer notice keeps the second weekend only as a contingency. Metro also says construction schedules can change, so check Metro's service alerts before you plan around either date.
Why the ramps are closing at all
The work is "deck removal" for the Westwood/VA Hospital station, part of Section 3 of the D Line subway. While the underground station box was being built, temporary deck panels carried traffic over the excavation. Now crews are taking those panels out and putting the traffic lanes back. Metro places the station box under the south VA campus, running from west of the I-405 to west of Bonsall Avenue. The station entrance will be south of Wilshire and east of Bonsall.
The station is still a long way from opening. Metro's October progress figures put the main entrance at 87% complete and mechanical, electrical and plumbing installation at 86%. Escalators and elevators were at 6%. Metro forecasts Section 3, which covers the Westwood/UCLA and Westwood/VA Hospital stations, for fall 2027. Section 2, with its Beverly Drive and Century City stations, is forecast for spring 2027. The first section, out to Wilshire/La Cienega, opened May 8, 2026.
A separate Metro notice covers closures of eastbound Wilshire between Gayley Avenue and Westwood Boulevard during weekday overnight and weekend daytime windows. The north Wilshire sidewalk between Gayley and Westwood is closed from August 17 through December 31, 2026. Wilshire is getting harder to drive and harder to walk along in the same stretch. The blocks just north of it, around Broxton, Weyburn and the campus, are where the weekend's best options are.
The Bruin is the reason this weekend is different
The Bruin Theater reopened Friday, October 23, with screenings of "Wildwood" at 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m. and 11:45 p.m. According to the Daily Bruin, crowds lined the sidewalks at Broxton and Weyburn because tickets were sold only at the box office. The 1937 movie palace closed in 2024. It reopened under Toronto theater operator Rui Pereira, who signed a 10-year lease in July.
LA Magazine reported that curtains believed to date from the 1950s had been hiding original side-wall murals, with lounging women, birds and neoclassical imagery. Pereira told the magazine he plans to preserve the murals rather than restore them to a theme-park finish. The booth now holds new digital projectors alongside vintage 35mm and 70mm machines, so the theater can show both first-run films and revival prints. Pereira summed up his approach to LA Magazine this way: "There's no such thing as old movies."
Some practical details for this weekend:
- Tickets are sold at the box office only. It takes cards and cash and opens 30 minutes before each show.
- Prices are $20 general admission for ages 14 to 59, $18 for seniors 60 and up with ID, $15 for students and for active-duty military and veterans, and $10 for children 13 and under.
- Programming. "Fjord" was scheduled through November 5, so check the Bruin's site for this weekend's title and showtimes. Its coming-soon page lists "Godzilla Minus Zero," "Paper Tiger," "Werwulf," and 35mm prints of "Blade Runner" and "In the Mouth of Madness."
- The weekly pattern. In August, the Daily Bruin reported plans for new releases Friday through Sunday and older films Monday through Thursday.
The Bruin's neighbor across Broxton is still closed, but it is coming back too. The former Fox Westwood Village Theatre at 961 Broxton ran this summer as Directors Village. The Los Angeles Times reported plans for a fall renovation ahead of a 2027 reopening.
Building the rest of the weekend around it
A night at the Bruin is the anchor. The rest of the weekend fits within a few blocks of it, and much of it is free.
Friday, November 6
The Fowler Museum opens "Paths of Memory, Paths of Healing: Shipibo-Konibo Kené Art," an immersive presentation of artist Olinda Silvano's kené designs. The museum is hosting Wine with the Artist: Olinda Silvano from 6 to 9 p.m. at 308 Charles E Young Drive North, with RSVP offered on the event page. Admission to the Fowler is free.
UCLA men's basketball plays North Florida at Pauley Pavilion at 7:30 p.m. Down on Wilshire, the Hammer's Billy Wilder Theater screens "Obsession" at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20, or $10 for members. Both end before the ramps close at 10.
Saturday, November 7
Start early at the Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden. It's open weekends from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from November through January, admission is free, and the entrance is at La Kretz Garden Pavilion, 707 Tiverton Drive. A free guided garden tour is scheduled for 10 a.m.
The Hammer Museum, at 10899 Wilshire Boulevard, is free and open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. On view are "Huguette Caland: A Life in a Few Lines," "Mavis Pusey: Mobile Images," and Hammer Projects shows by Vibeke Mascini, Gê Viana and Mike Cloud. At 1 p.m. there's a free highlights tour of the Caland exhibition with limited capacity. Art Lab is also listed at 1. Across campus, UCLA men's water polo hosts UC San Diego at 1 p.m.
In the evening, the Hammer's Food and Film series screens "Babette's Feast" at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free, with tickets handed out first come, first served. After that, the Bruin is a short walk up Westwood Boulevard. UCLA football is away at Minnesota that day, so no Rose Bowl traffic is pulling the Village toward Pasadena.
Sunday, November 8
The Hammer lists Art in Conversation at 1 p.m. and a 7 p.m. screening of "Happy Hour" at the Billy Wilder Theater. The ramps reopen at 5 a.m. Monday.
If Metro needs the second weekend
If the contingency closure runs November 13 to 16, the Village calendar gets busier, not quieter. The Bruin Flea sets up at Broxton Plaza, 1036 Broxton Avenue, on Friday, November 13, from 3 to 8 p.m. The Geffen Playhouse begins its run of "Purpose" in the Gil Cates Theater on November 11. When last checked, the Saturday matinee and the Sunday performance that weekend were listed as sold out, and the Friday and Saturday evening shows still had seats. CAP UCLA presents "Kafka's Letter to His Father" at The Nimoy, 1262 Westwood Boulevard, at 8 p.m. on November 12, 13 and 14.
That Friday also brings a crowd heading out of town. UCLA football hosts Illinois at the Rose Bowl at 6 p.m. on November 13. On Sunday, women's basketball hosts Princeton at Pauley Pavilion at 3 p.m. The Hammer's calendar that weekend includes "All of a Sudden" on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and another Caland tour on Saturday at 1 p.m. Thursday's Westwood Village Farmers Market at 1036 Broxton keeps going all month, with listings for November 12, 19 and 26. The detailed listing gives the hours as noon to 5 p.m.
Every Section 3 closure brings the Westwood/VA Hospital station, with its entrance south of Wilshire and east of Bonsall, closer to its forecast fall 2027 opening. If you're a homeowner wondering how a subway stop within walking distance could affect your home's value, Bellet / Grakal / Glick can walk you through the numbers on your specific block. Get Your Instant Home Valuation and see where your Westwood home stands today.
