Drivers on the 405 got a welcome surprise Friday morning when they saw that two ramps connecting Wilshire Boulevard and the freeway had opened.

The reconstructed ramps — the on-ramp from westbound Wilshire to I-405 North and the off-ramp from the 405 North to westbound Wilshire — opened three weeks earlier than expected. The original ramps closed in June and were demolished as part of a Metro project, sometimes called the "Rampture," that will ultimately involve the

reconstruction of all eight ramps at the 405–Wilshire intersection near UCLA.

Metro has not scheduled demolition dates for the remaining six ramps, which the agency expects to work on through next summer. However, Metro announced plans to postpone demolition until after "Carmageddon II," the Friday, Sept. 28–Monday, Oct. 1 closure of the 405 between the 10 and 101 freeways.

The next ramp slated for replacement is the off-ramp from I-405 South to westbound Wilshire.