Governor's Office graphic
By District 7 Public Affairs
In a dramatic response after fire forced the closure of Interstate 10 in Los Angeles and caused severe disruptions to transportation and the economy, Caltrans worked around the clock with other agencies and contractors to quickly reopen the key corridor weeks ahead of schedule.
After the Nov. 11 blaze in a storage yard under I-10, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a state of emergency in Los Angeles County to help facilitate clean up and repair work to safely re-open the busy freeway.
Investigators suspect arson caused the incident which damaged a 450-foot span of elevated highway used by 300,000 vehicles daily.
Based on preliminary damage estimates, Caltrans anticipated I-10 could remain closed for weeks or months to replace and repair dozens of concrete support columns and the bridge deck.
However, the timetable for reopening accelerated sharply due to around-the-clock efforts of crews and engineers on- and off-site, better-than-expected structural testing results, rapid debris removal, and close coordination between state, local and federal government officials to safely expedite repairs.
To shore columns, crews used more than 100 tons of steel beams and enough 12-by-12-inch wooden posts to stretch over a mile if placed end to end. Dozens of hydraulic jacks, each able to lift 100 tons, were used to place beams and posts.
All lanes of I-10 were opened to traffic on Nov. 19, eight days after the closure started. Caltrans continues to monitor the structure to ensure safety. Repairs will be ongoing for months to remedy damage to dozens of columns and other parts of the structure.
Throughout the response to the fire and I-10 closure, Caltrans participated in robust public information efforts including frequent news conferences and interviews, video updates, and a new website Fixthe10.ca.gov which continues to provide a video stream from multiple cameras in the burned area.