It’s been a rough start to 2016 for Los Angeles highways. Construction on the 101 south at Barham has been causing drivers to hemorrhage onto the Cahuenga Pass, divert to Laurel Canyon, or even add the extra miles to save a bit of time on the 5 South. These routes, which normally see less congestion, have been slowed to a crawl, adding upwards of 30 to 45 minutes to some worker’s commutes. While popular GPS apps with live-route updates, such as Waze and Google Maps, have been diverting drivers along surface streets, many seem to have just decided to take the 5 South until the 101 construction has cleared.

Please don’t do that tomorrow.

Normally I set my alarm for 7:20 am, then casually hit snooze about five or six times until 8 a.m. before actually waking up. I’ll rush through a shower, throw on clothes, spend about fifteen minutes on my pour over coffee, and then sprint out of the door by 8:30 a.m. to get downtown by 9 a.m.. It’s just my process. I’m normally about fifteen minutes late to the office, which is fine because nobody really calls until 9:30 a.m., and I can usually convince people I was either in the bathroom, or stuck in an elevator since 9 a.m..

But today I have a really big meeting at work that could mean some big things for me, and I need everyone to take a different route. Technically all lanes of the 5 South will be open, but just please do me this favor and avoid them. I just can’t trust that I’ll wake up early. I’ve tried it before, but my body needs that time to sleep.

All commuters are urged to stay clear of the 5 South tomorrow morning between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.

Some people may be asking why I couldn’t go to bed earlier to get the same amount of sleep. In short, it doesn’t work like that. I have a lot of stress in my life, and I’ve found the only way I can unwind is by watching a season of The West Wing or scrolling through 20-30 youtube videos of Rube Goldberg devices being constructed and then tested. Sometimes I have to lay in bed, refreshing my twitter feed for hours before my mind can relax and I can fall asleep. I don’t choose this.

For anyone traveling from the San Fernando Valley into Hollywood or Downtown, avoid the 5 tomorrow morning. And maybe tomorrow night, too. I’m trying to get to a Fun. concert by 8 p.m.