Los Angeles city leaders gathered on Sunday to address the destructive storage yard fire that has forced the indefinite closure of the I-10 Freeway, making clear that there are actions underway to ease the expected traffic nightmares that will inevitably come along with it.
City of Los Angeles
Commuters have already been warned to expect delays, as the major thoroughfare which acts as one of the largest arteries to get to and from downtown Los Angeles.
During a press conference late Sunday afternoon, LA Mayor Karen Bass provided additional information for Angelenos to reference while planning their morning commutes, directing them to the city’s Emergency Management Department.
“Our top line message is this: if you are driving through downtown, stay on the freeway and take the route around,” Bass said.
She asked businesses located in the impacted areas to consider allowing employees to work from home as the situation develops, hopeful that it will ease the unavoidable gridlock looming.
“We are also hoping for downtown businesses to join us and lean in on work-from-home policies to help alleviate traffic,” Bass said. “I know we’ve spent this time trying to encourage people to come back downtown and come back into their offices, but while we are going through this crisis, we would like for employers who can have their staff work remotely to do so.”
It’s estimated that the massive blaze burnt up to 100 columns of underneath the freeway, and the most pressing question is whether the freeway deck itself will need to be replaced in coming days.
Though there’s no timetable as to when the freeway will be reopened, Bass said that recovery and repair efforts were already underway.
“I want to ensure Angelenos that we are working night and day to make the repairs necessary to restore the freeway,” she said. “This is not going to be resolved in one or two days. … As we are learning the extent of the damage, we will keep you informed. But we need to stay together.”
The devastation left behind by the fire prompted California Governor Gavin Newsom to issue a State of Emergency for the area in order to acquire the necessary funds and resources to handle the situation as quickly as possible.
Toks Omishakin, the California Secretary of Transportation, discussed the statewide efforts already underway on Sunday.
“This challenge on the I-10 is the number one priority for the governor,” Omishakin said. “He’s asked for a 24-7 operation from all state agencies involved in any kind of way, from CalFire to Caltrans to CHP, it’s an all-hands on deck approach.”
Omishakin said that Caltrans has secured a $3 million emergency contract to bring in a contractor in order to “test and clear hazardous material, handle freeway and road closures and conduct possible restoration of the structure.”
Bass said that city officials will take a three-pronged approach to handling the issue, starting with making sure that a plan is in place for commuters heading into the impacted area. They will also work on making sure the road is reopened for travelers as quickly as possible, focusing on safety. Additionally, they will continue to provide the public with as many updates as possible to ensure that all are informed every step of the way.
Related: “It is safety first. It is speed second,” says Newsom on reopening of I-10
Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho also spoke at the press conference, making clear that no schools were expected to be closed on Monday.
“We’re going to try to provide students with a degree of normalcy,” he said. “Not only educationally speaking. A lot of our students, due to their socioeconomic conditions depend on the breakfast and lunch and enrichment activities that we provide as a schools system.”
Carvalho indicated that several schools will likely experience a significant impact for students and staff as they arrive and leave school, including:
- Para Los Niños Elementary School,
- 9th Street/Para Los Niños Middle School,
- 20th Street Elementary School,
- 28th Street Elementary School,
- Metropolitan Continuation High School,
- Inner City Arts,
- St. Turibius Catholic.
“We transport an excess of 40,000 students a day, particularly students with disabilities and those within magnet schools,” he said. “We expect some degree of delay impacting a significant number of students throughout the day tomorrow and over the next days or perhaps weeks.”
Families were encouraged to contact the district to learn more about public transportation by calling 1-800-LA-BUSES (522-8737). More information was available via their website.
Laura Rubio-Cornejo, the general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, said that the best option for those traveling to and from the area is public transit. She primarily suggested utilizing the Metro rail system, which will allow people to completely avoid the impacted area.
“If traveling in or around downtown LA, your best option is to travel by public transit, particularly by Metro rail,” she said. “If you are driving and your route requires you to pass downtown LA … please stay on the freeway. There are other routes that you can use including the 5, the 101 and the 110 freeways to circumvent the closure.”
Stephanie Wiggins, CEO of Metro and chair of the Metro Board, advised that trips can be planned on Metro’s website, which provides a detailed map on how to get to and from various locations. Additionally, travelers can receive up to the minute information by calling (323) GO-METRO (466-3876).
Metrolink has announced that they will expand services on its San Bernardino Line starting Monday morning. They will increase the capacity and run additional lines to and from the Inland Empire and downtown LA stops.
Drivers using eastbound lanes are advised to:
- exit the freeway at Alameda Street and 16th Street.
In order to get back to the I-10 if necessary, they should:
- head northbound on Alameda, eastbound on Olympic Boulevard and re-enter on the approach to Lemon Street.
- Alternatively, head northbound on Alameda, eastbound on 7th Street and enter the I-5 Freeway.
Drivers using westbound lanes are advised to:
- travel west on Washington Boulevard, north on Central Avenue and west again on 16th Street.
Detours will be conducted in the following areas:
- eastbound I-10 will be diverted at Alameda Street,
- westbound 60 will be diverted to northbound I-5 or northbound 101,
- southbound I-5 will be diverted onto the westbound I-10 but must take the first exit at Mateo Street,
- northbound I-5 must divert to the northbound 101.
Additionally, traffic officers will be positioned throughout the area near impacted schools, starting at 7 a.m. and lasting until 9 a.m, and again from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. as students are released from school.
