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Security tightens ahead of Summit of the Americas in LA
This will be the first time the summit is hosted in the U.S. since the inaugural summit in 1994.
LOS ANGELES - The city of Los Angeles is hosting the Ninth Summit of the Americas this week, a meeting of leaders from across North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean.
The summit stretches from Monday, June 6, through Friday, June 10. This week's summit will be the first time the U.S. has hosted the event since the inaugural summit in 1994, when it was hosted in Miami. The last meeting was in Lima, Peru, in 2018.
According to the State Department, the summit is meant as a tool to "promote cooperation towards region-wide, inclusive economic growth and prosperity based on our shared respect for democracy, fundamental freedoms, the dignity of labor, and free enterprise." What does that mean for you? Lots of dignitaries and VIPs from across the hemisphere are coming to Los Angeles, and traffic is expected to be severely impacted.
"We’re thrilled to host the Ninth Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles and to welcome leaders from across the Western Hemisphere here to focus on our shared goal to secure a sustainable, resilient, and equitable future for all our peoples," Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a press release.
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Los Angeles hosting Summit of the Americas
This will be the first time the summit is hosted in the U.S. since the inaugural summit in 1994.
In anticipation of the summit, the City has issued the following traffic warnings.
LAX:
- Traffic at LAX is expected to be worse than usual. The City recommends fliers take even more extra travel time into consideration all week.
Roads:
Avoid the following roads, ramps and exits between 10 p.m. on Monday, June 6 and 12 p.m. on Saturday, June 11:
- Any area between the 101 Freeway and the 10 Freeway, west of the 110 Freeway
- Transfer ramps from the east and westbound 10 Freeway to the northbound 110 Freeway
- Exits from the northbound 110 Freeway onto Pico Boulevard, 9th Street, 6th Street, 4th Street, and 3rd Street
- Exits from the southbound 110 Freeway onto 6th Street and Wilshire Boulevard
- Figueroa Street between Washington Boulevard and 3rd Street
- Pico Boulevard between Union Avenue and Grand Avenue
- 7th Street between Bixel Street and Flower Street
- Wilshire Boulevard between Bixel Street and Flower Street
All of those areas are highlighted in the map below.
To get into the downtown area, the City recommends the following exits:
From the 10 Freeway WB:
- Exit 16A Santa Fe
- Exit 15B Alameda Street
- Exit 15A Central Ave
- Exit 14B San Pedro Street
- Exit 14A Convention Center
From the 10 Freeway EB:
- Exit Convention Center/Grand Avenue/Olive Street
- Exit 14A Maple Avenue
- Exit 14B San Pedro Street
- Exit 15A Central Avenue
- Exit 15B Alameda Street
- Exit 16A Santa Fe Avenue
From the 110 Freeway NB:
- Exit 20B 37th Street and Exposition Boulevard
- Exit 20C Adams Boulevard
- Transition onto either the 10 or 101 Freeways east or westbound.
In addition to the downtown areas, one southbound lane of the Pacific Coast Highway between Coastline Drive and the Santa Monica Trunnel will be reserved for emergency vehicles on Thursday, June 9, between 12 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Public Transit:
DASH routes A, B, E, and F, and Commuter Express lines 409, 419, 422, 423, 431, 437, 438, 439, 448 and 534 should expect detours, but the Los Angeles Department of Transportation doesn't expect any route suspensions or cancelations.
Business in the area will remain open throughout the week, according to the City.
President Joe Biden’s administration is putting final touches on an agenda for the summit, but it’s still unclear if Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador will attend.
López Obrador has said that he doesn’t want to go unless every country in the region is invited, but the U.S. has resisted inviting autocratic governments like Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. He said Monday that Biden "has not been able to give us an answer, but there is time, and we trust him and we’re going to wait."
"If all countries are invited, I am going to attend the summit," López Obrador said. "If not all countries are invited, the government representative Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard is going to attend."
The Associated Press' Chris Megerian contributed to this report.