Caltrans Works to Reopen Part of Freeway Link

Caltrans maintenance crews worked feverishly Sunday to repair one of the county’s busiest freeway interchanges that was closed after an accident during the weekend.

Authorities were expected to reopen the Number 2 lane of the two-lane overpass from the eastbound Riverside Freeway to the northbound Orange Freeway late Sunday night, a Caltrans spokesman said.

The California Highway Patrol closed the interchange Saturday after a big rig hauling two 13-ton rolls of coiled steel overturned, dumping its load. The fallen rolls of steel gouged craters 4 feet wide by 2 feet deep in the pavement, exposing the supportive steel mesh.

Caltrans spokesman Albert Miranda said the agency’s engineers assessed the damage Saturday and decided that with minor repairs, the Number 2 lane could be reopened without posing any hazards to motorists.

The Caltrans repairs, he said, were just a temporary measure, adding that the Number 1 lane, which suffered structural damage, will remain closed. Private contractors would have to assess the damage and bid for a contract to repair the interchange, he said.

Said Miranda: “Opening the Number 2 lane should be enough to support the volume of traffic that goes through there in the morning. We know more motorists use the road in the evening, and that may pose some problems.”

Miranda and a CHP spokesman said authorities would probably decide today whether alternate routes would be needed to handle the heavy flow of evening traffic. “If we need detours, we will have a wide selection to choose from,” Miranda said.

An estimated 421,000 motorists use the interchange each day. Over the weekend, motorists were directed to the southbound Orange Freeway transition to Lincoln Avenue, from where they could re-enter the northbound side of the freeway.

A CHP spokesman said the closing of the ramp did not significantly affect traffic conditions near the interchange Sunday.