Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Los Angeles Freeway Closed After Fire Will Reopen by Tuesday, Ahead of Schedule, Newsom Says
By admin
Published 2 years ago on
November 17, 2023

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

LOS ANGELES — Repairs to an elevated Los Angeles freeway closed because of an arson fire are moving faster than expected and all lanes are scheduled to reopen by next Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday.

Earlier this week officials said it could take crews between three and five weeks to shore up the mile-long stretch of Interstate 10 near downtown after the blaze last Saturday burned about 100 support columns.

“The bridge structure itself seems to be in better shape than we anticipated,” Newsom said during an evening news conference. “One thing we can guarantee you is we will be open, five lanes in both directions, at the latest Tuesday of next week.”

More than 250 people were working around the clock to make the repairs, he said.

“This is a good day in Los Angeles,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said.

The fire that spread quickly over 8 acres was fed by pallets, cars, construction materials, hand sanitizer and other items being stored under the freeway in an industrial neighborhood. No injuries were reported, but at least 16 homeless people living in an encampment there were taken to shelters.

The arson investigation was ongoing, officials said. No arrests have been made and Newsom has said investigators are trying to determine if more than one person was involved.

An estimated 300,000 vehicles use the stretch of freeway daily, which runs east-west across the heart of the metropolis and connects with other major highways. The city has been urging people to avoid the area, take buses and trains, or work from home.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

UP NEXT

California Opens Investigation Into State Farm

Caitlin Clark Returns and Leads Fever to Upset Win Over Unbeaten Liberty

9 hours ago

Iran Fires Another Round of Missiles at Israel, and Explosions Are Heard in Tehran

9 hours ago

Israel Says Attacks on Iran Are Nothing Compared With What Is Coming

JERUSALEM/DUBAI (Reuters) -Israel pounded Iran for a second day on Saturday and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said its campaign would in...

8 hours ago

8 hours ago

Israel Says Attacks on Iran Are Nothing Compared With What Is Coming

8 hours ago

Military Parade Barrels Through Nation’s Capital With Tanks, Troops and 21-Gun Salute

9 hours ago

Authorities Still Searching for Suspect in Shooting of 2 Minnesota State Lawmakers

9 hours ago

Caitlin Clark Returns and Leads Fever to Upset Win Over Unbeaten Liberty

9 hours ago

Iran Fires Another Round of Missiles at Israel, and Explosions Are Heard in Tehran

10 hours ago

Stephen Miller’s Former High School Classmate Challenges His Deportation Policies

10 hours ago

‘We Will Kill You Dead’: Florida Sheriff’s Stark Warning to Demonstrators

11 hours ago

Trump Says ‘War in Israel-Iran Should End’

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend