More ramps on and off fire-scorched 10 freeway to reopen Wednesday
Oh what a difference a week makes.
This time last week, officials were talking weeks and months before a stretch of the 10 Freeway scorched by an intense Nov. 11 pallet fire might reopen. That’s already happened.
Tuesday’s good news was that the westbound Interstate 10 Alameda Street off-ramp and the westbound I-10 on-ramp from Santa Fe Avenue/Mateo Street/East 8th Street will open for motorists on Wednesday morning, Nov. 22 – and before the morning rush, Caltrans announced.
That means motorists getting off the freeway at the westbound Alameda Street off-ramp can proceed onto 14th Street heading west.
A word of caution, however: All other westbound traffic will be prohibited on 14th Street between Lawrence Street and Alameda Street during repairs.
- Eastbound traffic will be allowed on 14th Street between Alameda Street and Lawrence Street.
- Lawrence Street will remain closed between 14th Street and 10th Street for the duration of the repairs.
As corridors open up, Caltrans emphasized that while the shoring below the Alameda Street off-ramp is complete and safety inspections confirmed it can be open to traffic, the area is still a construction zone.
That means Caltrans has reduced the speed limit on the off-ramp from the normal 35 mph to 25 mph until further notice, Caltrans said, adding that traffic fines are doubled in work zones.
The once-shuttered, fire-damaged stretch of the 10 opened in both directions on Sunday evening, Nov.19 — a stunning development after officials just days before said its fire-scorched damage would take weeks to repair.
Just like that, the stretch, between Alameda Street and the East Los Angeles interchange, just after dark on Sunday began to fill up buzz with the hustle and bustle that Angelenos are used to on the key east-west artery in and out of the city’s core and beyond.
The freeway carries an estimated 300,000 cars per day.
Authorities on Saturday released photos and a description of a man they want to question in connection with the fire that damaged a part of the 10 Freeway in Los Angeles last weekend, and they are asking for the public’s help in identifying and locating him.
The man was described as being 30 to 35 years old and 6-feet tall, according to Cal Fire. He was seen on surveillance wearing a black hoodie, blue shorts, gray shoes and a green scarf with a knee brace on his right knee and a dark-colored backpack. Cal Fire officials also said his left leg may have been burned.
The investigation into the fire continues, in partnership with L.A. Fire Department and Caltrans. Results of the probe could released as early as Wednesday.