Interstate 5, Route 2 Connecter Reopens 6 Months After Fiery Crash
ELYSIAN PARK (CBSLA.com) — The freeway connector tunnel between Interstate 5 and Route 2 near Glendale reopened Friday after being shut down for six months.
Officials officially opened the roadway just before 11 a.m.
The 300-foot tunnel was closed after a fuel tanker carrying 8,500 gallons of gasoline crashed and caught on fire in July.
The blaze burned nearly three inches of concrete and exposed steel re-bar.
"It took an army to make this happen within six months, almost to the day of the disaster," councilmember Mitch O'Farrell said.
"This connector is actually better, safer than before the fire," Assemblymember Jimmy Gomez said.
Officials conducted months of tests and inspections to make sure the roadway was safe before the $16.5 million repair project got underway in November. The project included efforts from 11 local, state and federal agencies.
"Not since the great Northridge earthquake of 1994 have we seen this type of collaboration and cooperation between the federal government, the state government and the city government," councilmember Gilbert Cedillo said.
The repairs included new concrete and metal beam guardrails and hundreds of LED lights that adjust throughout the day. Both the lights and the tunnel are covered with anti-graffiti coating.
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