Los Angeles Authorities: All Lanes On I-10 Freeway Are Now Open
Authorities from the Los Angeles Mayor's Office hold a press briefing on the reopening of the I-10 freeway.
Transcript
00:00 Good morning Los Angeles. My name is Zach Seidel. I'm Deputy Mayor of Communications
00:06 for Mayor Karen Bass. Thank you so much for joining our 6am traffic briefing at the Department
00:12 of Transportation's Traffic Management Center where we've been providing Angelenos with
00:17 up-to-date information about detours and closures to expect due to the damage of the 10 freeway.
00:24 Monday morning was a very exciting morning for Los Angeles as Mayor Bass, Vice President
00:31 Kamala Harris, and Governor Newsom announced that all lanes of the I-10 freeway would be
00:36 open before Monday morning traffic and at about 6.30pm last night they did. Look how
00:42 green that map is. I was so excited I went and I drove it myself. We exceeded the timeline
00:50 by months because of the collective effort of the city, the state, and the federal government.
00:55 The second the fire started, the repair began and the city sprang into action to respond.
01:01 That night more than 100 LAFD firefighters ran towards the danger and worked diligently
01:07 to put out the fire with zero injuries. Our Governor and Caltrans District 7 worked with
01:14 urgency required to manage the crisis, working 24/7 to fix the freeway. The federal government
01:20 stood with us every step of the way including by providing millions in quick relief emergency
01:25 funding to offset initial costs. As the Vice President said yesterday, the work that happened
01:30 here is extraordinary. It was possible with the will and ambition of the workers on the
01:35 ground and their commitment as public servants and as union members to get this done and
01:41 deliver for the people of Los Angeles. The Mayor was at the site of the fire the same
01:46 day that it was put out and returned to the burn site and surrounding area every single
01:52 day until the freeway was reopened. On Sunday night she directed the Emergency Management
01:57 Department to issue a wireless emergency alert to ensure that Angelenos were aware of the
02:06 closure, a decision that has been credited for avoiding what could have been mass confusion
02:11 and congestion on Monday morning. First thing Monday morning, the Mayor's Business and Economic
02:16 Development Office and her Office of Community Engagement responded to the scene to survey
02:20 neighbors and businesses in the area. Her Office of Housing and Homelessness Solutions
02:25 responded to bring unhoused Angelenos in the area inside rather than old practices of just
02:30 moving folks down the street as work commenced. Throughout the week, the Mayor implored Angelenos
02:36 to take Metro. She wrote it herself as did staff as we sent out on Friday and surveyed
02:41 traffic from the air with LAFD Chief Kristen Crowley to see both morning and evening rush
02:46 hour traffic. The Mayor has been hands on throughout the week. Throughout it all, she
02:51 directed the Department of Transportation to take active steps to mitigate traffic especially
02:56 as rain approached. We deployed additional White Love traffic officers to surface streets.
03:03 We made more lanes available on surface streets and at one point literally added a left turn
03:07 lane at one of the most impacted intersections. We made public transportation routes along
03:12 the 10 faster. We made DOT buses free and more. On Friday, Mayor Bass stood alongside
03:19 downtown business owners and leaders and announced that the following support and resources have
03:25 been made available for businesses impacted by the 10 closure and are still available
03:29 today. The Economic Workforce and Development Department launched a micro enterprise grant
03:35 program. Applications remain open until midnight December 10th. The business, the city's business
03:41 source centers are actively assessing and surveying businesses in the area. And Mayor
03:46 Bass also directed the establishment of a proactive local business assistance resource
03:50 center that will be open today from 10 to 4 at Young's Market Company for all businesses
03:57 that have been impacted. We took urgent, continuous efforts to expedite the repair and alleviate
04:03 the traffic impacts of the closure on communities and commuters alongside state and local leaders.
04:09 And that shows this morning, the Monday before Thanksgiving, like I said, looking at that
04:14 green map here. So we'll start with remarks from Mayor's Deputy Mayor of Infrastructure,
04:19 Randall Winston, who's going to tell you steps that the city is taking to continue to alleviate
04:23 traffic as repairs under the freeway continue, as well as the effort that the mayor led along
04:30 the way. As Deputy Mayor, after Deputy Mayor Winston, we will hear from General Manager
04:35 of the Department of Transportation, Laura Rubio Cornejo, to speak from the board about
04:40 the ongoing minor traffic closures that might impact Angeleno's this morning. Following
04:45 that, we'll hear from Monica Bolden, Deputy Chief of Customer Experience for Metro, to
04:51 discuss action taken to expand ridership. We'll then hear from Rafael Molina, Deputy
04:56 Director of Caltrans Division of Traffic, to talk about safety measures taken to get
05:02 the traffic, to get the freeway back up and running and what you might expect in upcoming
05:07 weeks. After that, we'll take questions and then at 620, we'll hear remarks in Spanish
05:12 from Metro and DOT. And one thing that I just want to make sure is clear is that this freeway
05:18 is opening because it is safe. There are also continuous efforts that I hope that our partners
05:24 at Caltrans will touch on to ensure that we are actively monitoring the freeway as morning
05:30 traffic continues. And so, you know, Angeleno should rest assured that the freeway is open
05:38 and the freeway is safe and, you know, we're excited about it. And with that, I'll give
05:42 it to Randall Winston. Thank you, Deputy Mayor Seidel and good morning, Angelenos. A good
05:50 Monday morning it is. My name is Randall Winston, Deputy Mayor of Infrastructure for Los Angeles,
05:56 Mayor Karen Bass. I just have a few updates for you this Monday morning as we move forward
06:03 with an open I-10. First, the Alameda exit will remain closed in the westbound direction,
06:10 as well as the 8th Street on ramp to the I-10 West. Second, traffic officers and engineers
06:17 continue to staff the area to ensure smooth traffic flow. And LADOT installed a protected
06:24 left turn lane at Alameda and Olympic to reduce congestion at the intersection. Now, I know
06:30 Laura behind me will give a more in-depth explanation on your routes and detours for
06:36 this morning and in the upcoming weeks. So, let me introduce Department of Transportation
06:43 General Manager Laura Rubio-Cornejo, who will do just that, tell you all more about what
06:49 they can expect as you make your way this morning through downtown Los Angeles and beyond.
06:56 But just before that, you know, on behalf of Mayor Bass, I want to again thank all of
07:03 the departments and partners who've worked so tirelessly to bring us here today. LADOT,
07:13 Metro, Caltrans, and so many others. Thank you all again. And without further ado, Laura.
07:24 Thank you, Deputy Mayor Winston. Good morning. I'm Laura Rubio-Cornejo, General Manager of
07:29 the Los Angeles Department of Transportation. We are so excited to announce that cars can
07:35 now safely travel on the I-10 freeway in downtown Los Angeles. Yes, the 10 is open. There are,
07:44 however, still some freeway ramp and surface street closures around the construction site
07:49 where repair work is in progress. And give me a moment, I will walk you through those.
07:56 The 8th Street entrance to the 10 West remains closed this morning. If you need to access
08:05 the 10 Westbound, please use the Alameda on-ramp, which you can access via Santa Fe and Olympic.
08:15 That will connect you via Santa Fe South to Olympic West. That will connect you to the
08:21 Alameda and Westbound entrance. The Alameda exit remains from the West, also remains closed.
08:29 You can extend, instead, exit at Mattel and Santa Fe or onto 16th Street and Central.
08:40 All remaining Westbound entrances and exits of the 10 are open. And all entrances and
08:48 exits to the 10 Eastbound are open. Through traffic is allowed in both directions. On
08:56 surface streets, 14th Street is closed between Alameda and Elwood as crews continue repair
09:02 work under the freeway. Traffic officers and engineers continue to staff the area to ensure
09:08 smooth traffic flow and LEDOT installed a protected left turn at Alameda and Olympic
09:14 to reduce congestion at the intersection. I want to take a moment to thank all Angelinos
09:20 who exhibited patience and cooperation throughout this closure. Recovery and repair efforts
09:26 are underway and we continue to ask you to drive carefully at all times, especially if
09:32 traveling in or around the construction area. And please heed traffic officer instructions.
09:40 I also want to take this opportunity to remind you that public transportation via Metro,
09:46 Dash or our free commuter express remains an excellent option and a way to avoid and
09:54 reduce traffic congestion. Finally, as General Manager for the Department of Transportation,
10:00 I'd like to thank LEDOT staff who have been on the ground in all kinds of weather, rain,
10:08 sun, had there been snow, they would have been out there putting in long hours in order
10:14 to be able to help you through this crisis. All of us at LEDOT are proud to serve this
10:20 city and we look forward to the continued work of moving our city forward. Thank you.
10:26 I would now like to welcome up Rafael Molina, the Deputy District Director of Caltrans's
10:32 Division of Traffic. Thank you, General Manager. Good morning,
10:39 everyone. I'm Rafael Molina. I'm the Deputy District Director for the Division of Traffic
10:42 Operations at Caltrans here in Los Angeles. As I begin my remarks today, I'd like to first
10:48 of all wish you and your families a happy Thanksgiving Day holiday coming up. As we
10:54 all heard, Interstate 10 is open. That's such great news. Let me say that one more time.
10:59 Interstate 10 is open. In fact, it was open last night ahead of schedule. You may recall
11:04 that the original estimate to reopen the freeway was about three to five weeks and we were
11:08 able to accomplish that in just a matter of days. We were able to accomplish that through
11:13 the hard work of tireless individuals working in the field, making sure that we were able
11:18 to deliver this ahead of schedule. As the Governor noted yesterday, we were planning
11:23 on opening the freeway in time for this morning's morning commute and that was accomplished.
11:29 That was accomplished through, again, the hard work of the individuals in the field
11:32 as well as the collaboration and support of the various government entities that worked
11:38 on this closure. Being local, state, and federal, the collaboration was truly seamless. The
11:45 closures that we have today were previously discussed, but again, Alameda, westbound off
11:50 ramp is still closed. Lawrence Street under the freeway is still closed as we continue
11:54 our repairs. As it relates to freight and good movement, extra heavy loads on the 10
12:00 freeway in this segment are not allowed, so please keep that in mind. If you discovered
12:05 transit during this closure, we encourage you to continue using transit, at least for
12:10 a portion of your commute experiences if you can't do it continuously. Again, I'd like
12:18 to thank all of the individuals that made getting over this closure possible. From the
12:24 individuals that worked in the field as well as our transportation partners here this morning.
12:29 And again, this wouldn't have happened without everybody's support and collaboration, including
12:32 you out there in TV land. Again, we continue to monitor traffic and safety, both real time
12:39 and in person, remotely from our Los Angeles Regional Transportation Management Center,
12:43 and we're seeking forward to making sure that your commute experiences are safe and efficient.
12:48 With that, I'd like to introduce Monica with LA Metro.
12:53 Good morning. I'm Monica Bolden, Deputy Chief of Customer Experience for Metro. We'd like
13:00 to thank Mayor Bass, Governor Newsom, and our state and federal partners for their leadership
13:05 throughout the I-10 crisis and congratulate them and our partners at Caltrans for the
13:10 speedy repairs. We'd also like to thank the mayor and LA DOT for helping to make the A
13:15 and E lines faster as they travel through the city of Los Angeles. We were pleased we
13:20 were able to maintain and improve our on-time performance, especially on the E line that
13:25 travels through the downtown core parallel to the 10. Now I'd like to thank everybody
13:31 who took Metro to see the Clippers, the Lakers, and the Chargers, as well as the UCLA and
13:36 USC game at the Coliseum over the weekend. And I'm hopeful that those of you who've tried
13:41 us for the first time realize that taking transit is affordable at $1.75 a trip and
13:46 no more than $5 a day, as well as less stressful than sitting in LA's infamous traffic. And
13:53 I'm here to remind you that this Thanksgiving week, the traffic is expected to be miserable.
13:59 AAA is projecting that 3.9 million people will be driving to their Thanksgiving destination
14:03 this year. That's more than in 2019. So for those of you staying in Los Angeles this week
14:09 to see your friends and your family and generally start to enjoy the holiday season, Metro is
14:14 a better option. There's so much to do this week, and here's how to get there by going
14:18 Metro. Because today, there's the 8th annual tree lighting ceremony at LA Union Station.
14:23 So if you're already downtown, come over to LA Union Station to enjoy the fun. LA Union
14:28 Station is accessible directly on the Metro A, B, D, and J lines, or just one transfer
14:35 from the C, G, and E lines. For more holiday fun, you can go to Pershing Square Ice Rink,
14:42 which you can access through the B line subway just at the Pershing Square exit. And there's
14:48 also at the block in downtown LA, Sparkle, downtown LA light show, which can be accessed
14:53 from the 7th and Metro station. We also have a lot of NBA Basketball at Crypto.com this
14:58 week, which you can get to by the A and the E lines, just exit at the Pico station. The
15:04 Lakers are at home on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the Clippers are at home on Friday and
15:09 Saturday. And then for your football fans, UCLA plays Cal for their final regular season
15:14 game on Saturday night at the Rose Bowl. Remember, this is UCLA's last season in the Pac-10,
15:20 excuse me, the Pac-12 too. You can go Metro to the Rose Bowl by taking the A line, exit
15:26 Memorial Park station, and take the free shuttle to the stadium. And on Sunday, the Chargers
15:30 are hosting the Ravens. So we'll be running free shuttles from the C line Hearth on Lenox
15:35 station. And finally, if you're one to embrace a little bit of irony, why not take Metro
15:40 to the LA auto show at the LA convention center? It's in town through Sunday. So visit Metro
15:46 or use transit, Google or move it apps to plan your trips, or you can call 323-GO-METRO
15:52 for help. And while you're on your journey, look out for our Metro ambassadors dressed
15:56 in their bright green shirts. They're ready to help you. Thanks again for those of you
16:00 who already go Metro, and we invite everyone to hop aboard this holiday season. Thank you.
16:07 All right, so we're going to take a few questions. And then at 620, we're going to have to go
16:14 live with Spanish. So Anna, do you have a question?
16:17 Yeah. How much did this cost taxpayers total on the local, state and federal level?
16:21 That's a great question. I think we're right now still trying to figure that out. I know
16:24 Governor Gavin Newsom announced yesterday that the federal level was going to be helping
16:32 with reimbursements. So that's definitely something that we'll provide when we have
16:35 it.
16:36 Okay. And then also there's signs for no extra weight trucks. Is that just out of a complete
16:41 abundance of caution?
16:43 Yes, that is correct. Generally speaking, prior to the fire, extra weight trucks were
16:49 not allowed on this segment of the 10 freeway. So this is just an opportunity to remind folks
16:53 of the freight industry that they're still not allowed. So yes, out of abundance for
16:57 caution.
16:58 What's an extra truck? What's the weight on that?
17:02 I don't remember the tonnage on that, but it's much heavier than a typical 18 wheeler.
17:06 So these are trucks that have extra capacity on them, extra weight.
17:11 What will the incremental closures look like? And what can commuters expect going forward?
17:15 I know part of this fixtures that it's temporarily fixed, and then you can start going in and
17:20 making those permanent fixes. So what's that going to look like?
17:24 Sure. A lot of the work is actually going to be happening underneath the road bed, if
17:28 you will, underneath the structure. If there is work that needs to be done on the deck
17:31 itself, that will likely be accomplished through evening closures like we do have throughout
17:36 the state, throughout the district. So the disruption to the public moving forward should
17:41 be pretty minimal at this point. At least that's the expectation.
17:46 All right. Craig, do you have a question? We got one minute.
17:51 That's breaking news. Okay. Just kidding, Craig. Okay. So we're going to go ahead and
17:56 roll right into Spanish. I think that there was someone from Metro who's going to...
18:03 Oh no, we can stay...
18:06 I don't know. That was hilarious.
18:36 Okay. [foreign language]
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26:33 All right.