Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Thursday, Nov. 16, that all lanes of the I-10 freeway are now expected to reopen on Tuesday, just before Thanksgiving. This announcement follows Mayor Bass’ urgent, continuous efforts to expedite the repair and alleviate the traffic impacts of the closure on communities and commuters.
“This is what happens when we work with urgency. This is what happens when we come together. I want to make sure that there are no barriers to completely finishing the repair and that when the freeway opens up it will be completely safe,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “City departments will continue to respond with urgency to the impacts of the traffic closure during the ongoing construction. We will not let up. I want to thank Governor Newsom for joining forces with me to make sure the repair is being expedited to get the freeway back up and running as fast as possible.
“By working together with our federal and local partners and making this a 24/7 operation, the state is on track to open the 10 before millions of Angelenos hit the road for Thanksgiving,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. “I’m grateful for the crews working around the clock to safely repair the 10 so we can get Los Angeles’ traffic moving in days instead of weeks.”
The Mayor’s Office is hosting daily traffic briefings this week from the Department of Transportation’s Traffic Control Center. As directed by the Mayor, these briefings provide Angelenos with up to date information about detours and closures to expect due to the damage to the 10 freeway. During this morning’s briefing, the Mayor’s Office announced the following additional actions to alleviate traffic impacts on commuters and communities related to the I-10 freeway shutdown and forecasted rain:
- The Mayor has directed the Department of Transportation to make the CommuterExpress buses free to help Angelenos safely and quickly get to Downtown via public transportation. LADOT DASH buses remain free as well.
- Beginning today, the City is addressing a major bottleneck on the Alameda corridor by creating an additional turn lane in each direction to improve traffic flow.
- Additional white-glove traffic officers continue to be stationed throughout the closure area.
Alleviating Traffic and Preparing for Rain
The Mayor announced on Nov. 15, that she has directed the Los Angeles City Department of Transportation to make CommuterExpress buses free of charge to encourage Angelenos to use public transportation on their commutes. She has also directed the Department to assist Metro in making trains along the routes of the freeway closures go faster for Angelenos taking the train.
In preparation for the anticipated rain, Mayor Bass has directed the Department of Transportation to increase the amount of white-glove traffic officers in the congested area to assist commuters to get through intersections faster. LAHSA’s augmented winter shelter program has also been activated by direction of the Mayor for the unhoused population to move inside and shelter from the rain. Angelenos can find more information at https://www.lahsa.org/winter-shelter
Expediting the Repair
The good news regarding expected reopening times will not change the urgency that the Mayor will continue to bring in continuous efforts to help mitigate the traffic impacts to communities and commuters.
Supporting Impacted Businesses
Many businesses in and around Downtown have been affected by the closure. Mayor Bass and her Deputy Mayor of Business and Economic Development released a compiled list of state, federal and local resources available for impacted businesses. Resources will also be available on emergency.lacity.gov. The Mayor’s Office of Community Engagement has canvassed the businesses of the area and is actively engaged in order to provide support. In the coming weeks the Mayor will convene impacted business leaders to directly provide resources and support.
