Caltrans Finds Vulnerabilities In At Least 70 Concrete Slabs On Interstate 5
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Caltrans inspections have revealed at least 70 concrete slabs in need of repair or replacement on Interstate 5 in the Sacramento area.
Caltrans says the problem is long-delayed work and quick fix projects in place of the road work that was needed due to funding issues.
The problem area spans from Richards Boulevard, where several cars were damaged by a large chunk of pavement last month, to as far south as Pocket Road.
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On Wednesday night, Caltrans crews lanes in both northbound and southbound directions from J Street to Richards Boulevard.
"It's just a pain for anyone that commutes," said Sacramento local Rick Morris.
Just this past Labor Day, Northbound I-5 was down to two lanes, causing delays as crews worked on the road and now another round.
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"It's obvious the roads are bad, I drive along and they haven't put any real money into them," said Morris.
"It's an extremely urgent issue. We're talking about an interstate that carries roughly 200,000 cars daily in north and southbound directions of I-5," said Dennis Keaton of Caltrans.
The closures come after a large pothole in the pavement damaged dozens of vehicles last month just south of Richards Boulevard, the second incident in just one month. It prompted the state to review the freeway and do emergency overnight repairs.
"I just try to avoid it, stay off of it," said Morris.
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It's a particular stretch of road that was identified as a trouble spot. Officials say parts likely haven't been touched since the early 1980s, while other parts were repaired in 2010.
"We liken it to this is what happens when you keep using a band-aid instead of using a surgery to fix an issue, it's eventually going to keep coming back," said Keaton.
The southbound Richards Boulevard off-ramp will be open. Slab replacement work for these areas is scheduled for later this week and next week.
Caltrans District 3 will issue construction updates on Twitter @CaltransDist3 and on Facebook atCaltransDistrict3. For real-time traffic, click on Caltrans' QuickMap quickmap.dot.ca.gov/
