A week after state and local officials announced its closure following a fire, the 10 Freeway has reopened in both directions.
“Traffic is now flowing on five lanes in each direction between Alameda Street and the East Los Angeles interchange, ahead of tomorrow morning’s commute and before the Thanksgiving holiday, reducing the disruption to Los Angeles commuters,” Governor Gavin Newsom said in a press release on Sunday night.
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Governor Newsom initially said on Nov. 14 that repairs would take three to five weeks; however, on Nov. 16, he announced the freeway would reopen by Tuesday at the latest.
One driver told KNX News’ Jon Baird he was relieved it reopened early.
“It's a good thing,” he said. “It's making it easier getting to and from work.
Another driver said he was surprised by how fast the initial repairs were done.
“I don't know, it's pretty quick,” he said.
One woman said she was nervous about going on the freeway and will stick to the surface street.
“I’ll skip the freeway,” she said.
While the 10 Freeway is open, there’s still a lot of repair work that needs to be done. Drivers may notice a sign warning against extra weight trucks on the freeway.
One Caltrans official said it’s just an old rule that’s been used before.
“Prior to the fire, extra weight trucks were not allowed on this segment of the 10 Freeway,” he said. “So this is just an opportunity to remind folks of the freight industry that they're still allowed out of abundance for caution.”
The official from Caltrans added that future intermittent night closures could happen as repairs continue.
It’s unclear exactly how much repairs would cost, but Senator Alex Padilla estimated it would be “a little bit less than $3 million.”
“But the bottom line is, this will be covered by federal funds,” he said. “Thanks to the bipartisan infrastructure law that was passed and signed a couple of years ago. The emergency funds are a result of this law which is in and of itself a once-in-a-generation investment in our nation's infrastructure.”
Angelenos can still watch the repairs being done. To see the livestream, click here.
No arrests have been made in connection to the fire that led the freeway’s closure; however, CalFire did release photos of a man they say is a person of interest.
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