Demolition Complete for I-10 Bridge Repair Project

Photo courtesy of Cal Fire Riverside

By City News Service

Demolition was completed Friday on the eastbound side of a freeway bridge that collapsed amid heavy rain, forcing a five-day closure of Interstate 10 in Desert Center.

Crews finished destroying three spans, including the one that collapsed, at about 10 a.m., Caltrans officials said. Rebuilding the bridge is expected to begin within a week, following approval of a conceptual design.

The $5 million project is expected to be completed in late September.

The 30-foot section of bridge collapsed during heavy rains on July 19, cutting off the primary route for motorists traveling between California and Arizona. The 10 Freeway was closed between state Route 86 and the Arizona state line.

Granite Construction Inc. was awarded an emergency contract to get traffic moving again. The westbound side of the bridge was reopened last Friday, with one lane of traffic in each direction.

Strengthening the westbound side of the bridge required 1,400 truckloads of fill dirt and 2,500 tons of asphalt concrete, according to Caltrans.

With traffic moving again, crews turned their attention to rebuilding the eastbound bridge and restoring Interstate 10 to full capacity. The project required the complete demolition of the existing eastbound bridge, and will entail the placement of rock slope protection in the channel below and rebuilding the bridge in an accelerated fashion.

During the roadwork, traffic speeds in the area have been reduced to 45 mph, according to Caltrans.

On July 23, federal officials announced the immediate availability of $2 million in funding to help cover costs associated with the rebuilding.

“About 20,000 drivers use this bridge each day, traveling between Arizona and California,” U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said. “It is a critical piece of infrastructure for the people in both states, and DOT is committed to doing everything we can to help the area rebuild quickly and safely.”

The funds will be provided through the Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief program.

Repairs were also made on two other bridges on the freeway -- Adair Ditch Bridge and Hillock Ditch Bridge -- that were found to be in need of upgrades.

Motorists are still being advised to avoid I-10 travel when possible and use detour routes such as Arizona Route 95 to Interstate 40 or Interstate 8 to State Route 111 to Route 86 to get around the bottleneck. Another option is State Route 177 to State Route 62, then back onto Interstate 10.