Collapsed bridge on Calif. I-10 passed inspection this year
DESERT CENTER, Calif. - Transportation officials say a bridge along California's Interstate 10 that collapsed during a storm passed inspection earlier this year.
Will Schuck with the California Department of Transportation said Monday that inspectors found no safety issues during an inspection on March 17.
The bridge, which spans a desert gully, was built in 1967. It collapsed Sunday during heavy rains, indefinitely severing a major artery between Southern California and Arizona.
The National Weather Service says rain fell at a rate of 1.5 inches an hour before floodwaters washed the bridge out. A total of 6.7 inches fell Sunday near Desert Center, California.
Inspectors planned to assess all bridges along a 30-mile stretch of the interstate after a second bridge showed signs of damage following the storm.
The collapse Sunday of Interstate 10 in southeastern California left one driver injured, stranded numerous motorists and complicated travel for countless others for what officials warned could be a long time.
The bridge was for eastbound traffic, and sat about 15 feet above a normally dry wash about 50 miles west of the Arizona state line.
The westbound section of the freeway near the tiny town of Desert Center also closed. The roadway was intact but extremely undermined by flooding and could need rebuilding, Kasinga said.
No timeframe was given for when either direction would reopen, as crews were diverted from other projects to examine the site. "They won't even be able to begin assessing the damage until Monday," Kasinga said.
That means those seeking to travel between California and Arizona would be forced to detour hundreds of miles out of their way, to Interstate 8 to the south or Interstate 40 to the north.
Busy I-10 is the most direct route between Phoenix and parts of Southern California, including Los Angeles. Officials reported State Routes 177 and 78 also remain closed due to flooding.
Transportation officials recommended travelers on the east side of the collapse use U.S. Highway 95 in Arizona to get to the other freeways, and that in California drivers use state routes 86 and 111 to get to Interstate 8 into Arizona.