July 24--A stretch of the 10 Freeway that has been shut down after heavy rain washed out a bridge halfway between Coachella and the Arizona border over the weekend reopened Friday afternoon.
About 30 feet of the eastbound lanes near Desert Center in Riverside County were destroyed Sunday when heavy rain washed away the earth supporting the bridge, triggering a collapse that damaged one truck.
Emergency workers hired by Caltrans worked around the clock all week to support the westbound bridge so it can accommodate two-way traffic. Just after noon Friday, Caltrans tweeted a video of the first vehicles driving on the opened lanes.
Crews will continue to repair the eastbound side but officials did not have a completion date.
Two other bridges in the area also needed minor repairs after the storm; those were completed earlier this week, according to Caltrans.
The collapse was about 9 miles east of Hell. The closest town with a large population is about 50 miles away, in Blythe.
For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna.
ALSO:
Road trip headache: What routes to take until Interstate 10 reopens
Tortured, chained child to receive $4 million from county of Sacramento
Wildfire near Napa Valley burns 6,900 acres as weather conditions improve
UPDATE
12:21 p.m.: This story has been updated to say a stretch of the freeway was reopened.
This story was first published at 6:11 a.m.
