Hollywood gets ready for Oscars on Sunday

The Dolby Theatre is transformed to host the Academy Awards. Photo by John Schreiber.

The red carpet was in place Thursday and ready to go for Sundays 87th Academy Awards presentation, but motorists in Hollywood may be finding the street closures now in effect less than glamorous.

The famous red carpet was rolled out on the sidewalk leading to the Dolby Theatre butwas quickly covered with plastic tarp for protection.Workers rolled the roughly 500-foot-long, 33-foot-wide carpet along Hollywood Boulevard, with a throng of photographers snapping images of the annual tradition.

Once the carpet was in place Wednesday, workers covered it for protection from the elements, and from the footsteps of workers who are continuing preparations for Sundays ceremony.

The placement of the red carpet gave tourists a special treat. But just getting to Hollywood during the week leading up to the Oscars can be a chore.

On Sunday, Hollywood Boulevard was closed for the entire week leading up to the ceremony. The closure is between Orange Drive and Highland Avenue, and some sidewalks in the area were blocked to accommodate installation of the decorations, large Oscar statues, the red carpet and the bleachers which can accommodate 771 star-gazers hoping to catch a glimpse of the celebrities making their way into the theater.

The Los Angeles Police Department, city Department of Transportation and California Highway Patrol all team up for traffic control in the days leading up to the event. The agencies will also combine for a maximum deployment period on Sunday, meaning all available traffic officers will be on duty in the area, according to the LAPDs West Traffic Division.

In addition to street closures already in place, Hawthorn Avenue will close between Highland and Orange on Friday.

On Saturday, the day before the show, a series of other closures will begin:

Orchid Street will close from 60 feet south of Franklin Boulevard to Orchid Alley.

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Hollywood gets ready for Oscars on Sunday