The weeklong Summit of the Americas opens Monday, bringing world leaders from several nations to downtown Los Angeles.
The summit will start on Monday and run through Friday. That means a week of street closures and heavier-than-usual traffic in downtown LA, especially around the Convention Center.
Here's what to know if you're driving in the area.
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What does Summit of the Americas mean for traffic in downtown LA?
Traffic all around downtown LA, near the Convention Center and at LAX will be impacted.
To see the full list of areas that will be impacted and other helpful tips for getting around during the summit use this link.
The LA mayor's office released an official statement urging drivers to be prepared for traffic. In the statement they urged travelers that if they do need to access the impacted areas that they be prepared to experience some long wait times.
Freeways like the 10, 101, and 110 are all expected to see an increase in traffic.
The LA Department of Transportation does not expect any sort of delays or cancellations for normal scheduled rides.
Downtown LA street closures to know for Summit of the Americas
The following list of street closures were provided by Metro.
- The connector ramps from the east and westbound 10 Freeway to the 110 Freeway north.
- •The 110 Freeway northbound exits into downtown LA, to include Pico Boulevard, 9th Street, 6th Street, 4th Street, and 3rd Street.
- The 110 Freeway southbound exits for 6th Street and Wilshire Boulevard.
- Figueroa Boulevard, north and southbound traffic, between Washington Boulevard and 3rd Street.
- Pico Boulevard, east and westbound traffic, between Union Avenue and Grand Avenue.
- 7th Street, east and westbound traffic, between Bixel Street and Flower Street.
- Wilshire Boulevard, east and westbound traffic, between Bixel Street and Flower Street
Several other streets will be closed in downtown LA at intermittent times.
Why is Summit of the Americas in LA this year?
At the 2018, summit former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence suggested the idea that the next summit be hosted in the U.S. This is the second time that the U.S. has hosted the summit since 1994.
LA was selected as the host city for the summit due to the rich diverse history and serves as a melting pot for cultures with a population representing about 140 different countries. LA is also home to the largest Hispanic and Latino communities in the U.S.
Then in January 2022 the White House officially announced that LA would serve as the host city.
What is the Summit of the Americas?
The meetings include leaders from North, South, and Central American countries, along with the Caribbean. This year's theme at the Los Angeles Convention Center is "Building a Sustainable, Resilient, and Equitable Future."
The first ever Summit of the Americas was hosted 1994 in Miami, FL which was convened by former U.S. President Bill Clinton.
The goal of the summit is to bring together world leaders from western hemisphere countries and have productive conversations about issues like economic growth, democracy, improve communication between countries, and human rights.
At this year's summit the U.S. will host three forums that the guide the summit direction.
Those three forums are the Ninth Civil Society Forum, the Sixth Young Americas Forum, and the Fourth CEO Summit of the Americas.
Each forum's mission is to foster dialogue between political leaders.
