"Giant Pothole" on Transition from I-5 South to I-10 East in Los Angeles

[andy3175]

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Pothole-Damages-Car-5-10-Freeway-LA-Traffic-238238751.html

A large pothole on a transition road east of downtown Los Angeles damaged more than 30 vehicles and slowed traffic for nearly six hours Tuesday as drivers exited their vehicles to warn commuters of the hazard.

Tires and wheels on several vehicles were damaged after striking the pothole, possibly caused by a semitrailer crash on the road Monday night. The road was patched overnight, but a 3-foot wide hole developed by Tuesday morning on the transition road from the southbound 5 Freeway to the eastbound 10 Freeway.

The parade of damaged vehicles continued until a law enforcement officer in an unmarked car arrived at about 7 a.m. to help drivers avoid the pothole.

Traffic on the interchange was blocked as Caltrans workers arrived to repair the damaged road. The transition reopened about 2 p.m., after five and a half hours.

The damage exposed steel bars, known as rebar, that reinforce the road's concrete. A Caltrans official said the constant traffic on the connector -- about 300,000 cars a day -- may have worsened damage to the connector and caused the roadway to split.

The CHP is investigating whether the damage is connected to a big rig that overturned after a crash with a cement truck Monday night on the road.

Happy New Year,
Andy