I-10 in Calif. to re-open Friday at site of bridge collapse
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — Interstate 10, which has been closed because of a bridge collapse in Southern California, will re-open to traffic Friday at noon PT, according to an announcement from the state Department of Transportation.
Repair crews will strengthen the westbound portion of the Tex Wash bridge, moving two-way traffic onto that half of the interstate while repairs on the collapsed eastbound bridge continue.
"Once I-10 is opened, minor work will be performed on the westbound side and work will commence on the eastbound side of the structure to get it operational," Caltrans announced. "The existing detours will remain in effect until the opening of I-10."
The Tex Wash bridge collapsed amid heavy rainfall Sunday afternoon, injuring one driver and making the eastbound lanes of I-10 impassable. The collapse severed the primary route between Arizona and Southern California.
The re-opened interstate will allow drivers to return to the towns of Desert Center and Blythe, which had been isolated by the closure.
“It’s a light at the end of the tunnel,” said Heath Garcia, the manager of Chiriaco Summit, a travel stop that had been emptied by the bridge collapse. "We were preparing for something much worse and longer.”
In light of the collapse at the Tex Wash, Caltrans inspectors also surveyed other bridges in the area, concerned that they may have also been damaged in Sunday's heavy rains. Dozens of bridges passed inspection, but two — The Adair Ditch Bridge and Hillock Ditch Bridge — will require minor repairs, according to a news release. Those repairs should be finished Tuesday.