Los Angeles faces a traffic challenge of the highest order Monday as a crucial stretch of the 10 Freeway remained closed through downtown L.A., with no timetable for reopening.Officials said more than 300,000 vehicles travel through the freeway corridor daily, and drivers face a series of detours to make their commute.The freeway overpass was badly damaged by an intense fire early Saturday at two storage yards in an area with multiple homeless encampments.
Here is what we know:
Closures
- 10 Freeway between East L.A. interchange and Alameda Street.
- 10 Freeway westbound diverted at Santa Fe Avenue.
- 5 Freeway north and south transition to 10 Freeway westbound.
- 60 Freeway transition east and west to 10 Freeway westbound.
- Alameda Street closed in area.
Follow CalTrans District 7 on Twitter for updates.Getting around the closureHere are alternative routes from the L.A. Department of Transportation:
- Eastbound 10: Exit the freeway at Alameda Street and 16th Street. To detour back onto the freeway, head northbound on Alameda, eastbound on Olympic Boulevard, and re-enter the 10 East mid-block on the approach to Lemon Street. Alternatively, head northbound on Alameda, eastbound on 7th Street, and enter the 5 Freeway. All 10 eastbound freeway on-ramps between the 110 Freeway and Alameda are closed at this time.
- Westbound 10: Reenter the 10 Freeway westbound by traveling west on Washington Boulevard, north on Central Avenue, and west again on 16th Street.
Public transit
Metro provided details on some mass transit lines available during the closure:
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Line 78 (Huntington)
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Line 18 (6th Street)
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Line 66 (Olympic)
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Line 30 (Pico)
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Line 33 (Venice)
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E Line train
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J Line bus
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Officials said LADOT Commuter Express buses around downtown L.A. could see scheduling changes and rerouting due to the 10 Freeway closure.
The fire damaged the freeway’s pillars, but Caltrans is not sure how bad the damage is and how quickly repairs can be made.“We see what we call ‘concrete spalling,’ which is chips of concrete that come off, but we won’t know the extent of the damage until the structural engineers can go in and see if the rebar was burned or not,” said Lauren Wonder, a Caltrans spokeswoman. “This is still developing.”Mitigation of hazardous materials needs to be completed before a detailed structural analysis of the damaged portions of the freeway can commence. Engineers will be inspecting the freeway’s columns and bridge deck.“I am not going to understate the challenge here — it is significant,” California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin said. “This is not going to be an easy task for our structural engineers at Caltrans.”
Impacts
- Los Angeles Unified said schools in the general area will be open Monday but that closure will probably affect traffic issues, especially in Boyle Heights and south of downtown. Parents with questions about bus routes can call (800) LA-BUSES (522-8737).
- Officials are urging people who work in downtown to consider working from home if possible.
- Traffic is expected to be jammed on freeways that surround and feed into downtown Los Angeles, including the 110, 101, 5 and 60. Some surface streets around the fire zone are also closed.
- Many L.A. residents received alerts on their cellphones about the closure.
What’s next: Mayor Karen Bass on Monday urged patience.“This was a huge fire and the damage will not be fixed in an instant,” Bass said. “Engineers have worked all night and are working right now to determine our path forward. I have made it clear with our local, state and federal partners that any unnecessary bureaucracy or delays are not happening here.”“The most important things that you can do this morning are first, check your commutes. Unless you have to enter downtown, stay on the freeways. There will be clear signage routing you around the closure, and those routes are the best way through,” she added.