I-10 Re-Opens in California After Bridge Washed Away in Heavy Rain

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is pleased to announce that Interstate 10 at Tex Wash Bridge will open to traffic on Friday, July 24, 2015 at noon.

The closure forced about 54,000 daily driver, many making the trip between California and Arizona, to take a detour of several hours. Once I-10 is opened, work will commence on the collapsed eastbound side of the structure.

The interstate had been shut down since a flash-flood swept through the remote area Sunday afternoon, undermining the westbound side of the bridge and collapsing the eastbound side.

The bridge collapse caused a major traffic headache for motorists and interstate commerce, which depends on the roadway to move items across state lines.

The bridge washed out during heavy rains on July 19. It has not provided an estimate of fixed costs.

About 30 feet of the eastbound lanes near Desert Center in Riverside County were destroyed Sunday when heavy rain washed away the earth supporting the bridge, triggering a collapse that damaged one truck. Sunday’s flooding was sparked by unusually intense rainfall of nearly seven inches-powerful enough to wash away boulders that Caltrans had placed along the gully’s bank to guard against erosion.

Earlier this week, construction crews laid the foundation for eastbound traffic to cross the center median just east of Eagle Mountain before entering the left westbound lane. State officials have closed the route, a primary artery between California and Arizona, to allow time to conduct a damage assessment. Once that “armor” was gone, the water made quick work of the soil beneath the abutments where the bridge connected to the roadbed to solid land.

This shows the extent of the damage to the bridge.

When inspectors visited the bridge in March, they found no structural issues, as said by Caltrans.

At the time, there were no signs of past erosion, according to the report Flora reviewed.

“This was an extreme weather event and it will definitely be used as a valuable learning experience”, she said.

He noted that this stretch of I-10 has several dozen similar bridges.