Always busy Interstate 405 freeway in Los Angeles is closing this weekend for Carmageddon II, in a move that will definitely improve the quality of the air.

Last year’s Carmageddon, which was held from July 15 to 17, ten-mile stretch of the 405 freeway was closed, and UCLA researchers found that quality of air near the shuttered portion improved 83 per cent within minutes.

As traffic decreased all over Southern California during that weekend, quality of air got better 75 per cent in portions of West Los Angeles and Santa Monica. Form Long Beach to Santa Clarita, and Ventura to Yucaipa, air quality improved by an average of 25 per cent.

The research was led by viz. Yifang Zhu and Suzanne Paulson - two professors at UCLA’s Institute of the Environment & Sustainability (IES).

Paulson said that the improvement in the quality of air was dramatic and the findings of the research were eye-opening.

Speaking on the topic, Paulson said, “The air was amazingly clean that weekend. It was a really eye-opening glimpse of what the future could be like if we can move away from combustion engines.”

The UCLA IES is an educational & research institute which unites several disciplines like physical, life & social sciences; business & economics; engineering & technology; public policy & urban planning; and medicine & public health.