LOS ANGELES, Nov 13 (Reuters) – A weekend fire that severely damaged an elevated section of a downtown Los Angeles freeway has forced an indefinite closure and an extended period after investigators say it was caused by arson. State officials said Monday that it was the scene of extensive traffic chaos.
The discovery of the arson comes after California Governor Gavin announced that the state had recently filed a lawsuit seeking to evict a company that leased storage space on state land under the Santa Monica Freeway, where the fire broke out early Saturday morning. This was revealed in Newsom’s announcement.
But the governor said nothing to suggest that the arson investigation was related to the eviction lawsuit or the state’s alleged violation of the lease.
Newsom and State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant told reporters investigators were still trying to identify the person who started the fire and asked for the public’s help in identifying those responsible.
Berlant said investigators were “able to confidently determine that the cause of the fire was arson.” He did not provide further details about how investigators reached their conclusion or how exactly the fire started.
Long-term traffic disruption is likely to occur.
Approximately 300,000 vehicles pass through the Santa Monica Freeway every day, and downtown Los Angeles is frequently congested even under normal circumstances, so the closures are expected to spread to detours and cause major traffic jams throughout the metropolitan area. Ta.
The road closure is one of the worst transportation disruptions in the region since the 1994 Northridge earthquake flattened two sections of the same highway, and is likely to last more than a few days, Karen said.・Mayor Bass said.
Laura Rubio-Cornejo, general manager of the Department of Transportation, said motorists are primarily concerned about recommendations asking them to avoid downtown streets, take public transportation if possible or work from home. He said it seems like there are.
“The crowds were a little better than normal,” Rubio-Cornejo said.
Still, local media said roads in and around downtown were congested Monday, and even a minor traffic accident could quickly lead to traffic jams.
The damaged section of East-West Interstate 10, also known as “The 10,” is connected to two other freeways that are essential for travel in Los Angeles, which is primarily a car-based city. Traffic was closed in both directions at a point in between.
Officials said the blaze damaged more than 100 support poles and the highway deck and spread through a storage yard under a highway overpass filled with wooden pallets, containers and piles of parked vehicles.
Repair or rebuild?
Engineers will analyze samples of concrete and rebar taken from the damaged structure to determine whether the damaged section of the highway can be safely repaired or whether it will need to be demolished and rebuilt, a more time-consuming and expensive process. Determined whether there is.
Newsom said preliminary sampling results show the structural integrity of the freeway deck “appears to be much stronger than originally assessed,” and final test results to determine how to proceed will be announced Tuesday. He said he plans to appear first.
Mr. Newsom identified the leaseholder of the federal land under the highway where the fire occurred as Apex Development Corp., based in Calabasas, Calif., north of Los Angeles.
He said the company had violated the terms of its lease, including stopping paying rent and subletting the space to up to five companies without permission.
The governor said a court hearing on the state’s filing of eviction notices against illegal detainees is scheduled for January or February. Apex did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on Monday.
Bass said there was no indication that the fire was connected to a nearby homeless encampment housing about 16 people.
Newsom declared on Sunday: emergency in Los Angeles County to facilitate highway repairs. The governor inspected the damage and vowed to reopen the highway as soon as possible.
After the Northridge earthquake, the highway was reopened in about three months, 74 days ahead of schedule, because contractors were given a $200,000 bonus for each day work was completed ahead of schedule, the Los Angeles Times reported. .
Newsom said similar incentives are under consideration for the latest project.
Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles and Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, California. Additional reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta and Lisa Bertlein in Los Angeles.Editing: Jonathan Oatis, Stephen Coates, Miral Fahmy
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