A major section of a freeway in Los Angeles that was shut down because of fire damage is expected to reopen no later than Tuesday — far earlier than officials had originally estimated and before the full onslaught of holiday traffic.
The fire, which exploded in the early morning hours of Nov. 11, damaged more than 100 columns bolstering the 10 freeway, a central artery that runs across the city, forcing the closure of a nearly two-mile segment that sees about 300,000 vehicles each day.
Officials had initially suggested that it could take months to reopen the area — an eternity for a city dependent on commuting and heavily reliant on cars.
Gavin Newsom of California declared a state of emergency to help expedite repairs.
Engineers tested samples of the structure, and within days had determined that the damaged section of Interstate 10 would not have to be completely rebuilt, shortening the repair timeline to a handful of weeks.
Persons:
Gavin Newsom
Organizations:
Gov, Engineers
Locations:
Los Angeles, California