Granite Performs Emergency Repair for Damaged Concrete

Asphalt’s speed-of-construction attributes garnered worldwide attention July 20 through 25 when a major Southern California freeway was reopened in five days after experiencing major flood damage. Interstate 10, a major freeway connecting Los Angeles to Phoenix was closed when flash-flooding caused a bridge to collapse, forcing eastbound traffic to take an hours-long detour. The interstate carries an average of 27,000 vehicles a day through the area.

Working around the clock, a contractor brought in by Caltrans, Granite Construction, trucked in 2,500 tons of asphalt and 2,000 tons of base course to pave a temporary detour around the damaged bridge and traffic was able to pass through the area at noon Friday to great fanfare.

The freak summer rainstorm inundated drought-stricken Southern California last weekend, sending torrents of chocolate-colored water sweeping across the parched desert landscape. A concrete structure that carries I-10 traffic over Tex Wash Bridge, about 44 miles east of Route 86 (Coachella) and 42 miles west of the Arizona state line, took the brunt of the flooding. According to Caltrans Public Information Officer Tyeisha Prunty, three other structures received minor damage and were repaired.

The temporary detour, which will carry traffic alongside the collapsed concrete structure at reduced speeds, will be in place until the structure can be replaced, she said. That process could take months, Prunty said, at an estimated cost of $5 million.

Reprinted with permission from the California Asphalt Insider newsletter, an official publication of the California Asphalt Pavement Association (CalAPA).

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The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is pleased to announce that Interstate 10 at Tex Wash Bridge opened to traffic at noon July 24. “I am proud of Caltrans and Granite Construction staff working together to repair and reopen I-10 in less than five days after a storm damage event of this magnitude,” Interim District 8 Director John Bulinski said.

Caltrans was able to expedite the opening of I-10 at Tex Wash Bridge, which washed out during a major storm July 19, because of emergency contractual procedures that allowed Granite Construction, Inc., to be awarded the project Monday, July 20. As a result of the weekend storm, Caltrans inspected other bridges in the area and three were found to need minor repairs. The repairs on these bridges were completed on or before July 23, 2015.

Anyone with scheduled permit loads should contact Caltrans Transportation Permit Office at (916) 322-1297 or their permit service company, as this route configuration may affect load transportation.