The Los Angeles Post

FIX THE 10: Governor Newsom Announces Caltrans Clears All Hazardous Debris, Gains Full Site Access, Ahead of Schedule

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LOS ANGELES — Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that Caltrans emergency contractors have cleared all hazardous materials from the Los Angeles 10 Freeway repair site and Caltrans now has full site access to shore up support pillars and expedite repairs.

WHAT GOVERNOR NEWSOM SAID: “This critical, ahead-of-schedule milestone helps us safely get Los Angeles’ traffic moving in December. I’m grateful for Caltrans District 7’s around-the-clock work to safely repair the 10 as quickly as possible. California is leveraging an all-of-government approach — working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week — to get this done.”

“I’m incredibly proud of the efforts Caltrans District 7 contractors, workers, engineers, and personnel are leading to deliver on this Herculean task,” said Caltrans District 7 Director Gloria Roberts. “Our crews won’t stop working until the 10 is safely repaired and traffic is moving.”

The clearing of hazardous materials comes two days ahead of schedule. Caltrans emergency contractors immediately began clearing debris as soon as it became safe to do so following last weekend’s fire — suspected to be caused by arson — which caused significant damage to approximately 100 support pillars. Working 24 hours a day, Caltrans contractors safely removed approximately 264,000 cubic square feet of hazardous material and debris — enough to roughly fill four Olympic-sized pools. With the successful removal of all hazardous debris, Caltrans now has full access to the site to expedite repairs to the damaged I-10 site.

On-site environmental monitoring is in place to fortify drains and ensure that every precaution is in place to contain area run-off due to incoming storms. An early evaluation of the site identified no highly toxic chemicals in the aftermath of the fire.

The state is taking an urgent all-of-government approach to fix the 10 Freeway, a major artery in Los Angeles, with traffic estimated at upwards of 300,000 vehicles daily. Californians can visit FixThe10.ca.gov for updates and alternate routes.

www.FixThe10.ca.gov →

The 10 Freeway is a major artery that serves hundreds of thousands of Angelenos daily. After testing samples and assessing damage from the site, state transportation officials currently believe the damage can be repaired without demolishing and rebuilding the 450-foot span of the freeway, which could have taken upwards of 6 months. Union crews are working around the clock to shore up the support pillars damaged in the fire. These efforts are aimed at making the necessary repairs to safely reopen the freeway to moving traffic as soon as possible.

Last weekend, Governor Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency in Los Angeles County to support the state’s response. The proclamation facilitates clean-up and repair work and directs Caltrans to formally request assistance through the Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief Program, which has been submitted.