District: 7 (Los Angeles and Ventura Counties)
Contact: Michael Comeaux
Phone: (213) 500-5840
Emergency Project Underway in Downtown Los Angeles
Los Angeles — The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) reports that crews are making steady progress on emergency cleanup and repairs on Interstate 10 in downtown Los Angeles after an extensive fire on Nov. 11 that has shut down all lanes in both directions between Alameda Street and the East Los Angeles interchange.
- Caltrans emergency contractors have cleared all hazardous materials from the repair site ahead of schedule, and Caltrans now has full site access to shore up support pillars and expedite repairs.
- Working 24 hours a day, crews safely removed approximately 264,000 cubic feet of hazardous material and debris — enough to roughly fill four Olympic-sized pools. More than two dozen burned vehicles were removed.
- Contractors placed temporary supports, called shoring, next to damaged concrete pillars under the elevated freeway.
- California secured $3 million in “quick release” emergency funding from the Federal Highway Administration to offset initial costs.
- Caltrans and contractors working in close collaboration to repair the damage and reopen I-10 in three to five weeks.
- Critical materials for the repairs are already on site.
- Crews are working 24/7 – including weekends and through this week’s rainstorms – to repair the damage and reopen I-10 in three to five weeks.
- While I-10 is closed to all vehicles between Alameda Street and the East Los Angeles interchange, Caltrans is seizing this opportunity for a wide-ranging “swarm” maintenance operation – sweeping shoulders, repairing bridge railings and broken concrete, painting over graffiti, cleaning drains and culverts, and removing litter and excess vegetation.
For more about this emergency project and tips for motorists, visit fixthe10.ca.gov.
