Riding transit to cement legacy

In his spacious City Hall office, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa points to two new souvenirs as a symbol of what can be achieved when construction projects go right: A basketball- sized chunk of concrete, next to a 2-foot length of rebar, sitting on his coffee table.Daily News.

It's a memento from Carmageddon weekend, when motorists defied projections and stayed off the roads while a stretch of the 405 Freeway was closed as crews demolished part of the Mulholland Bridge.

"What was incredible about it was that the people of this city responded as they always have," Villaraigosa said, "I can't tell you anyone expected that traffic would be as light as it was, but we got the word out and people responded."