Community Corner
Local Tourism Holding Up Despite I-10 Closure
Some of the more optimistic projections suggest emergency repairs could allow westbound traffic to resume moving on I-10 by the weekend.
The indefinite closure of Interstate 10 between State Route 86 and the Arizona State Line is causing some headaches for motorists entering the Coachella Valley from the east, but so far, the traffic disruption does not appear to be hurting the region’s tourism industry, local officials said today.
“We’ve seen very few cancellations, so that’s good news,” said Mary Jo Ginther, tourism director for the Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism. “And it’s midweek, so that’s also good news.”
Traffic into Southern California from points east has been snarled since Sunday, when a 30-foot freeway bridge collapsed amid heavy rains in Desert Center, east of Palm Springs.
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Some of the more optimistic projections suggest emergency repairs could allow westbound traffic to resume moving on Interstate 10 by this weekend, when the expected number of tourists would be heaviest.
Find out what's happening in Lake Elsinore-Wildomarfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Under that best-case scenario, travelers entering the area from the east could forgo the series of detours that is adding 90 minutes or more to motorists’ drive time.
Previous:
- Contractor Hired to Fix Collapsed I-10 Bridge
- Official: Freeway Bridge Failure Surprising
- Bridge Collapsed in Desert Center, Trapping Truck Beneath
- Severe Thunderstorm Floods Parts of Riverside
- I-10 Closes Indefinitely at Desert Center After Flood Washed Out Bridge
- Supervisors to Proclaim County Emergency Due to I-10 Closure
But regardless of the pace of repairs, the bulk of anticipated tourism traffic into the region should not be adversely impacted, according to Ginther.
“The majority of our summer drive market comes from the west; Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego,” she said.
Visitors who have traveled to the area since Sunday via the maze of state highways have reported that the trek is manageable.
“The detours aren’t bad,” Ginther said. “The impact, so far, has not been too bad.”
By City News Service
Photo courtesy of John Hawkins/CalFire Riverside
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