WEST WHITTIER >> You might want to avoid the 605 Freeway this weekend — at least the southbound side from Whittier Boulevard to Washington Boulevard.

The two right lanes on that side will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday in order to finish a three-mile $14 million soundwall project.

In addition to the lane closures, the Whittier Boulevard on-ramp to the southbound 605 and the Washington Boulevard east off-ramp will be closed for construction ingress, egress and staging.

The closures are needed so the freeway shoulder can be repaved with plastic concrete, said Jim Gleig, director of construction management for sound walls for Metro.

“By the time we remove (the existing pavement and put it back in, we need a 55-hour closure,” Gleig said.

In order to safely put the new pavement in, the crew needs the two lanes to be closed, he said.

This is the last major element of the project that goes from just south of Beverly Boulevard to just south of Slauson Avenue, Kleig said.

“The project now is essentially to be done by mid-February,” he said. “This is kind of the last big hurrah.”

Once the shoulder is repaved, all that remains will be the installation of some landscaping, he said.

Kleig said motorists are being notified of the closure in a number of ways, including telling the media.

In addition, there are message boards on the freeway and on the Whittier and Washington boulevard ramps, he said.

The project is a good one, said Chris Magdosku, assistant director of public works for Whittier.

“This is trying to make it more quiet and look nicer,” Magdosku said.

The wall is expected to reduce traffic noise by 5 decibels; improve quality of life for local schools, residences, businesses and churches; and reduce pollution.

According to Metro, there are more than 112 existing miles of sound walls in the region’s freeway system.