The 10 freeway is set to fully reopen by next Tuesday, Nov. 21 at the latest — a stark improvement from its original three to five week reopening timeline — Gov. Gavin Newsom announced during a news conference on Thursday, Nov. 16.
“With the extraordinary work of the men and women you see behind me, the carpenters, laborers, Teamsters, Cement Masons and 30 new carpenters on site in the last 24 hours,” Newsom said, “one thing we can guarantee you is, we will be open — five lanes in both directions at the latest Tuesday of next week.”
Newsom noted that Los Angeles and the state would also be working to get the freeway opened up sooner than Tuesday — but said he didn’t want to overpromise.
Thousands of Southern California commuters, meanwhile, on Friday faces a fifth day of finding new ways to get to work — or simply work from home — after the 10 Freeway was severely damaged by an intense fire set off by a pallet burning beneath a freeway overpass at the 1700 block of East 14th Street, two blocks west of Alameda Street.
Government officials previously anticipated it would take anywhere from three to five weeks to rebuild the damaged highway — but thanks to additional resources from the federal government, and the swift work of emergency contractors Griffith Company and Security Paving, the process has been sped up.
“Our efforts here, materials, and supplies have presented themselves without any hindrances or any problems — things continue to move favorably in our direction,” Newsom said.
The governor added that the structure of the damaged portion of the freeway, a roughly 450-foot span, appears to be in better shape than originally anticipated. Officials initially feared the closure would last months if that damaged section of the freeway had to be fully demolished and rebuilt.
“That turned out to, again, be in our favor,” Newsom said.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who also joined the Thursday press conference, thanked Angelenos for heeding guidance to use public transportation and avoid driving on the 10 anywhere near the fire-damaged stretch in downtown Los Angeles.
“Let me, first and foremost, thank Angelenos for paying attention to what we were saying, staying informed, using public transportation, staying on the freeways, off the surface streets, and staying peaceful,” Bass said. “The last few days have been difficult, but everybody has cooperated and I want to thank you. All of the stars have been aligned on behalf of Angelenos.”
The cause of the fire, meanwhile, is still under investigation as an arson. Newsom said no additional details were available yet.
Efforts to shore up the freeway’s deck and roughly 100 support columns damaged in the fire, including about 10 that were severely damaged, will continue through next week.
Commuters, in the meantime, are encouraged to continue avoiding side streets in the area and to take public transit.
Metro, on Thursday, also announced a series of new incentives — including faster trains, additional buses in the fleet, and reduced costs for certain programs — to encourage Angelenos to ditch their cars, at least while the 10 Freeway is still under construction.