I-10 bridge closed indefinitely after flood damage

DESERT CENTER, Calif. – The interstate bridge that washed out in the desert between Los Angeles and Phoenix easily withstood its daily load of thousands of cars and trucks, but the pounding of a powerful flash flood scoured away the land where the bridge was anchored, officials said Monday.

Sunday’s flood severed a highway vital to the movement of people and commerce between two of the nation’s largest cities. On an average day, the interstate carries about 27,000 vehicles in either direction.

Water rushing through a normally dry desert gully eroded the land around the Interstate 10 bridge, causing one side of the eastbound span to collapse and forcing the indefinite closure of the westbound span.

Late Monday, Caltrans concluded the westbound span about 50 miles west of the Arizona state line could have a limited reopening within weeks. Work crews plan to shore it up – a footing that once rested on ground had the soil swept from under it – and eastbound traffic could then use one of its two lanes, agency spokesman Will Shuck said.

When inspectors visited the bridge in March, they found no structural issues, according to Caltrans.

Nine inspectors fanned out Monday to check all 44 bridges along a 20-mile stretch of I-10, according to Caltrans.