I-10 Bridge Collapse: Long-Term Closure Possible

Interstate 10 will be closed indefinitely between Route 86 and the Arizona State Line after a 30-foot section of a bridge collapsed in Desert Center east of Palm Springs, trapping a truck driver, after heavy rains caused flooding in the area, a Caltrans official said today.

“You’ve got one section (of the bridge) that’s undermined and another section that’s missing,” Caltrans District 8 spokeswoman Terri Kasinga told City News Service.

Caltrans structural engineers will be on the scene this morning to begin assessing the damage at the site of the collapse and other surrounding washes and structures along that section of the I-10, Kasinga said. Caltrans will release an estimated reopening time when the damage is assessed and repairs are determined. An emergency contract will be needed to make the repairs.

“This could turn into something that’s a long-term detour,” she said. Motorists were advised to avoid I-10 travel 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 closure, she said. State Routes 177 and 78 were also closed due to flooding so they are not detours.

“But I would not advise any travel right now between Coachella and the Arizona state line,” she said. “If you don’t have to go, don’t go.” Traffic backups were expected.

The interstate “is probably the biggest movement corridor in and out of Southern California,” Kasinga said.

“A lot of trucks come from the port (of Los Angeles) get on the 10 and go straight on out,” she said.

Firefighters responded to the scene and began a cut and rescue operation at 4:43 p.m. Sunday on the eastbound side of the freeway near the Tex Wash about a half mile east of Eagle Mountain, according to Jennifer Fuhrman of the Riverside County Fire Department.

The location is about 50 miles west of Blythe and the Arizona border.

The truck driver, who sustained moderate injuries, was freed about 6:50 p.m. and taken to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, according to the CHP.

A passenger had earlier made it out of the vehicle, the CHP reported.

--City News Service