Official: Freeway Bridge Failure Surprising

Photo courtesy of CalFire Riverside

By City News Service

Riverside County’s transportation chief said Monday that the collapse of a bridge on Interstate 10 near Desert Center isn’t cause for alarm over the structural integrity of spans elsewhere in the county.

“It appears they had a sudden failure out there, but I think it shows how Mother Nature can sometimes surprise us,” said Transportation and Land Management Agency Director Juan Perez.

He told City News Service that he knew little about the overcrossing, which collapsed during a flash flood in the Tex Wash two miles east of Desert Center, because it was in Caltrans’ jurisdiction. But he said he didn’t believe the faulty span was representative of crossings in other parts of the county.

READ MORE:

• 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

“We actively look at our bridges,” Perez said. “There are 108 in unincorporated areas, and about a dozen of those need to be rehabilitated or replaced.”

He said the bridges undergo state inspections every two years to determine their viability.

“We receive reports on the status of each bridge,” Perez told CNS. “Based on that information, we initiate projects. When it’s recommended, we try to repair or replace them right away.”

According to the TLMA director, the same storms that knocked out the I- 10 bridge caused damage to San Timoteo Canyon Road west of Calimesa, forcing the closure of the roadway between Live Oak Canyon Road and the San Bernardino County line.

“It’s not permanent or significant damage,” Perez said.

A joint report released last October by the California State Association of Counties and the League of California Cities gave Riverside County’s roads and bridges an overall grade of 70 -- falling just inside the “at-risk” category.

According to the survey, areas where road conditions ranked “poor” included parts of Lake Elsinore, Murrieta, San Jacinto and Wildomar. Eastvale, Menifee, Moreno Valley, Norco and Perris were in the grades 50-60 column. Most of the Coachella Valley landed in the 71-100 category.

The survey indicated the county would need to spend $5.2 billion over the next 10 years to bring all surfaces -- including more than 100 bridges -- into “safe and reliable” condition.