roads and bridges. one in nine bridges is deficient. every second of every day an american driver crosses a deficient bridge that s in bad need of repair. reporter: that s 69,000 bridges. meanwhile the economic cost of all this congestion $100 billion. slow drive on the 405. reporter: a slow drive indeed. that was nbc s tom costello reporting. speaking of work, there s a new survey out that says 60% of americans would take up to a 25% pay cut if they could work from home. nearly 80% would prefer to work at least part of the time from home. the biggest reason for wanting to work at home? you might have guessed it, that dreaded commute to and from the office. [ woman ] my grocery bill isn t wasteful spending. [ woman ] my heart medication isn t some political game. [ man ] our retirement isn t a simple budget line item. [ man ] i worked hard.
this is a closer like we have never seen in the area. everybody will be impacted. july 16 and 17, it will be an absolute nightmare. the freeway will be shut down for 53 hours as a $1.3 billion expansion project. southern california is bracing for what is being called carmaggedon. it s a choice that borders on sanity. don t do it. stay the hell away from the 405. reporter: a ten-mile stretch of the highway connecting western part of l.a. to the san fernando valley. when completed driver drivers ia new carpool lane can save a minute a mile. when the particular 10-mile section of the 405 is completed we ll have the largest car tulle lane in the world. 50 miles. reporter: the project and freeway closure has many businesses shutting down or changing hours for the weekend. some, though, are embracing the driving dilemma and hope to capitalize on congestion. we are doing the gridlock martini, $3. the road rage cocktail. that is $3.
yesterday. today, they re offering an apology. the big mistaking that had people thinking they had gotten the bargain of the year. but first, here are your options. resign or be fired. that is the ultimatum that was just given to nearly 200 educators tied to one of the largest school cheating scandals in u.s. history. it was just over a week ago, a state investigation revealed 178 teachers, including 38 principals, woulding at 44 schools cheated for students on standardized tests in atlanta. on monday, interim superintendent erroll davis replaced four superintendents and one principal in the atlanta public school scandal. now a letter has been sent to the 178 teachers, principals and administrators who were on the state investigative report as either confessing to or being implicated in the cheating. davis has ordered that educators resign by next wednesday or they will face termination. he says the culture inside the school district has to change. people failed children,
sears was offering that deal yesterday. today, they re offering an apology. the big mistake that had people thinking they had gotten the bargain of the year. but let s now turn to the 405 freeway. the infamous 405 in los angeles. it is shut down this weekend. and you might be thinking, if you re not familiar with the area, big deal, freeway s shut down for construction. but think, folks, what if you are in new york and they shut down the brooklyn queens expressway? what if you re in chicago and they shut down the dan ryan? what if you re in atlanta, they shut down 75/85. you re in the bay area and they shut down highway 80 over the bay bridge? that s what we re talking about. this is how important 405 is. 500,000 drivers go on to the 405 every single weekend, but this weekend,s is not an option. the construction work is supposed to be done by monday morning. there will be hefty fines if it is not done in time. giving you an idea of the 405 here, a map of the area. but right
it is one of the world s busiest highways. although it s not usually moving. no, that was an unusual sight with the cars moving. a big construction project there could interfere with a couple s wedding this weekend. the bridegroom and others who rely on the 405 are scrambling. here s abc s abbie boudreau. reporter: only in l.a. would a road closure have people talking about the end of the world. carmageddon. the 405 will be closed between the 10 and the 101. reporter: they re calling it carmageddon, an asphalt apocalypse. stay the hell away from the 405. reporter: this is the most congested highway for drivers in the country. on a typical weekend, 500,000 cars pack this road. but this weekend, for 53 straight hours, a 10-mile stretch of it will be closed. it s one of the most special moments in our lives. reporter: dalia franco and moshe schmul didn t know about carmageddon when they began planning their wedding a year