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Dive brief:
- The The I-10 freeway in Los Angeles was reopened Sunday night in both directions, eight days after an intense fire under the towering span damaged columns and shut down the main thoroughfare through America’s second-largest city.
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Sunday evening that traffic was moving in both directions after an all-day effort to clear debris and prop up fire-scarred supports went faster than expected. Safety Paving in Westlake Village, California and Griffith in Brea, California are the contractors working on the repairsaccording to the California Department of Transportation.
- “What started as months has turned into days,” Newsom said Sunday at a news conference that included Vice President Kamala Harris. “Before Angelenos hit the road Monday, let’s open the backup 10.”
Diving knowledge:
News of the earlier opening came after authorities initially thought the 450-foot section of the elevated freeway would have to be demolished, where a raging fire started in a storage yard below on Nov. 11 that damaged approximately 100 columns.
But Newsom dropped that possibility Tuesday, saying that The highway could reopen in three to five weeks after tests of core samples showed that the damage was not as extensive as it appeared. then thursday Newsom ramped up programming again, saying the stretch would be available to drivers on Tuesday, before the Thanksgiving holiday. The freeway was then opened on Sunday, with traffic flowing in both directions.
The New York Times amusingly captured that shifting timeline with the headline: “Surprise! The Los Angeles Freeway will reopen next week, according to Newsom.“
The earlier opening was due to better-than-expected structural test results, rapid debris removal and close coordination between state, local and federal officials to expedite highway repairs, he said. ‘governor’s office. US Senator Alex Padilla Estimated initial repairs cost $3 millioncovered by federal funds, according to news reports.
While the highway, which serves as a vital artery for cargo shipments from the nearby ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, is now open, repairs and construction will likely continue at the site for months, the governor’s office said. Officials also released a video a suspect in their fire investigationwhich they say was started by a fire.
Caltrans workers took advantage of the traffic-free opportunity during the shutdown to perform a “swarm” maintenance operation: sweeping, repairing bridge railings and broken concrete, painting over graffiti, cleaning drains and culverts, removing trash, overgrown weeds and vegetation and broken seal. access doors
In June, a tanker truck truck that caught fire under I-95 in Philadelphia led to a similar shutdown. While initial estimates for the repair schedule there spanned months, the section also reopened ahead of schedule, in about two weeks.
