I-10 bridge collapse near Desert Center CA

[Kniwt]

http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/2015/07/19/desert-center-bridge-collapse/30395123/

One person has been rescued from his or her car with moderate injuries after a bridge collapsed on Interstate 10 in Desert Center.

Fire officials described the collapsed bridge as half a mile east of Eagle Mountain Road near the Tex Wash.

The Tex Wash bridge is listed as functionally obsolete in the 2014 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1967, the bridge was listed as no longer adequate for its task. However, it was not listed as having structural defects that needed to be fixed.

All I-10 traffic is closed near Eagle Mountain Road. Eastbound traffic is closed at Chiriaco Summit and westbound traffic is closed at Corn Springs.

[ARMOURERERIC]

We have had very strange weather resulting form the remains of a Baja hurricane, I suspect a flash flood was involved.

[KEVIN_224]

This coming from the same state that saw wildfires directly affect I-15 not that long ago! That's some scary s---!

[Sonic99]

Wow, from what I saw, basically the flash flood washed out the embankment on either side of the bridge itself, and the bridge collapsed because the dirt around it was all gone. This was for the eastbound lanes. The westbound lanes had severe erosion and that bridge was also in danger of total collapse but thankfully it didn't.

If the bridges themselves are totally destroyed, that's going to take quite some time to rebuild, isn't it? It's not like they can shift traffic to the other side and keep things moving, because that one is basically trashed too from what I read. Wow, what a mess that's going to be...

[SSOWorld]

Freeway in the middle of a desert.  Flash floods happen too easily because of the dry soil which is unable to soak it up.  Not surprised.

[gonealookin]

Wow, from what I saw, basically the flash flood washed out the embankment on either side of the bridge itself, and the bridge collapsed because the dirt around it was all gone. This was for the eastbound lanes. The westbound lanes had severe erosion and that bridge was also in danger of total collapse but thankfully it didn't.

If the bridges themselves are totally destroyed, that's going to take quite some time to rebuild, isn't it? It's not like they can shift traffic to the other side and keep things moving, because that one is basically trashed too from what I read. Wow, what a mess that's going to be...

There was a similar collapse in 1995 on Interstate 5 in the San Joaquin Valley.  Flatbed railroad cars were used as the platform of a temporary bridge, which opened 10 days after the collapse.  You can't drive 70 mph over flatbed rail cars so there are traffic delays, but a solution like that at least gets the highway functioning again.

[Rover_0]

Is this I-10 bridge collapse make a good reason to revisit (re-)extending US-60, at least along AZ-72, AZ-95, AZ-95 Spur, and CA-62, as an alternative/detour route to I-10?

[jrouse]

As has been noted earlier in the thread, the apparent cause for the bridge collapse was undermining of the abutment due to the flooding.  Both bridges suffered undermining with the eastbound span getting the worst of it.   The plan is to repair the damage to the westbound span and build a couple of temporary crossovers on either side of the bridge and run two-way traffic on the westbound span while the eastbound bridge is replaced.


iPhone

[ARMOURERERIC]

The 2-3 times I have driven that stretch the ADT was non-existant.

[nexus73]

Is this I-10 bridge collapse make a good reason to revisit (re-)extending US-60, at least along AZ-72, AZ-95, AZ-95 Spur, and CA-62, as an alternative/detour route to I-10?

That was my thought too.  Given that the SoCal metroplex is the biggest on the West Coast it needs alternate routes to keep the tens of millions of folks there taken care of.

Rick

[andy3175]

The official detour according to http://www.kesq.com/news/road-closures-due-to-i10-bridge-collapse/34251824 appears to be:

Interstate 10 is closed east of Indio from the 86 Expressway on. That's forcing all traffic to go south on the 86. You'll take that all the way to Interstate-8, almost at the U.S.-Mexican border. Then head east to Yuma, get on State Highway-95 back up to interstate-10 at Quartzsite and from there you're clear to Phoenix.

Interstate 10 westbound is being diverted in Blythe at intake road. Traffic is being routed onto State-Highway 95 northbound up to Highway 62.

Then traffic will head west through Twentynine Palms,  Yucca Valley, Morongo Valley and then back to Interstate-10-just west of Palm Springs near Whitewater.

SR 86 south to SR 78 east is another option, but I'm guessing they are not highlighting that route due to the undulating terrain and sharp curves along its route. At least SR 86, SR 78, and SR 111 combined make a continuous four-lane route. But it is a significant detour from I-10.

[andy3175]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/california-10-bridge-collapse-travel-woes-32560309

While the bridge should have been fine if the flood came straight down the gully, this time it swept through at an angle that pushed the water to one bank, digging away the soil at the gully's edge where the bridge reconnected with the road bed, California Department of Transportation spokeswoman Vanessa Wiseman said.

Caltrans was not yet sure why the flow followed that path, but such redirections are not unusual in sandy desert soil, she said.

Nine inspectors fanned out Monday to check all 44 bridges along a 20-mile stretch of I-10 after a second bridge showed signs of damage following the storm Sunday, according to Caltrans. They also planned to inspect bridges across the large swath of Southern California where the remnants of a tropical storm off Baja California dumped unusual deluges this month.

Late Monday, Caltrans concluded that the westbound span about 50 miles west of the Arizona state line could have a limited reopening within weeks. Work crews plan to shore it up – footing that once rested on ground had the soil swept from under it – and eastbound traffic could then use one of its two lanes, agency spokesman Will Shuck said.

While he did not have an exact timeframe for the limited reopening, he said, "we're certainly not talking about months." Rebuilding the eastbound span would take longer.

When inspectors visited the bridge in March, they found no structural issues, according to Caltrans. The inspection report shows that the bridge had minor cracks. The only work recommended was to upgrade the railing, and that was done several years ago.

The span's rating was a 91.5 out of 100, according to data from the Federal Highway Administration. It was deemed "functionally obsolete," a label Caltrans spokeswoman Wiseman said reflected not its strength or durability but the fact that its 1967 construction style requires motorists to slow as they approach.

Many motorists speeding through the desert might cross the bridge without knowing. It spanned a shallow desert gully, just 40 feet wide. Such washes, as they are known, streak the desert floor and flash to life as rains are funneled into them much like tributaries can swell a river.

The bridge washed out as rain was falling at a rate of 1.5 inches an hour. A total of 6.7 inches fell Sunday in Desert Center, said National Weather Service forecaster Ken Waters. Showers and thunderstorms in drought-stricken southern and central California set rainfall records in what is usually a dry month.

[myosh_tino]

SR 86 south to SR 78 east is another option, but I'm guessing they are not highlighting that route due to the undulating terrain and sharp curves along its route. At least SR 86, SR 78, and SR 111 combined make a continuous four-lane route. But it is a significant detour from I-10.

There's an advisory on the Caltrans website stating that CA-78 is also closed due to flooding and/or flood damage.

[froggie]

The 2-3 times I have driven that stretch the ADT was non-existant.

According to CalTrans data, the segment had a 2012 AADT of 22,500.  Not empty.  But not exactly full for a 4-lane freeway, either.

[noelbotevera]

This is my eastbound detour:

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/34.0756186,-117.5446664/33.4596826,-112.4336571/@33.7169216,-113.7045511,8.14z/data=!4m19!4m18!1m15!3m4!1m2!1d-116.9266436!2d34.8253897!3s0x80c489c5bcd40c05:0xf8a72a0f20cf5cb7!3m4!1m2!1d-114.4347435!2d34.7138415!3s0x80d1e188e1711859:0x46d023191b6da9cd!3m4!1m2!1d-113.2007106!2d34.385299!3s0x80d2fcb86e32f99d:0x6bc5e935326e9a0e!1m0!3e0

(Sorry if it is too long)


My westbound detour:

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/33.4596826,-112.4336571/34.0756186,-117.5446664/@34.0837576,-114.7473142,7.4z/data=!4m2!4m1!3e0

[pctech]

In a historical time setting, what are the chance of flooding like this in that part CA? (one in a hundred years, for example)
What eventually happens that much rain in a desert? Adsorbed in the soil? Runs off to some water collection source such as a lake?
I've seen them put up a temporary bridge up here (Louisiana) by driving wooden pilings then putting preformed concrete decking on them.

[roadfro]

In a historical time setting, what are the chance of flooding like this in that part CA? (one in a hundred years, for example)
What eventually happens that much rain in a desert? Adsorbed in the soil? Runs off to some water collection source such as a lake?
I've seen them put up a temporary bridge up here (Louisiana) by driving wooden pilings then putting preformed concrete decking on them.

The desert southwest is always pretty susceptible to flash flooding like this, but especially during monsoon season (roughly July to September-October).

This part of the desert has relatively hard soil. Caliche (almost cement-like hardened soil) can be quite common relatively shallowly below soil surface. So in a flash rainstorm like this that brings a lot of rain in a short amount of time, the ground is too hard to absorb a great deal of water, causing considerable water runoff. In rural areas like this, water just runs downhill through gulleys or washes until it meets is absorbed, detained, out runs into a larger permanent body of water. In urbanized areas, they may build flood channels and detention basins to capture the stormwater to somewhat control the flow.

The Las Vegas valley, where I grew up, has been constantly building flood control infrastructure for 30+ years, despite averaging less than 4 inches of rain per year. These flash floods can be crazy and destructive. (The destructive force of water is part of the reason Hoover Dam exists.)

[hm insulators]

In a historical time setting, what are the chance of flooding like this in that part CA? (one in a hundred years, for example)
What eventually happens that much rain in a desert? Adsorbed in the soil? Runs off to some water collection source such as a lake?
I've seen them put up a temporary bridge up here (Louisiana) by driving wooden pilings then putting preformed concrete decking on them.

The desert southwest is always pretty susceptible to flash flooding like this, but especially during monsoon season (roughly July to September-October).

This part of the desert has relatively hard soil. Caliche (almost cement-like hardened soil) can be quite common relatively shallowly below soil surface. So in a flash rainstorm like this that brings a lot of rain in a short amount of time, the ground is too hard to absorb a great deal of water, causing considerable water runoff. In rural areas like this, water just runs downhill through gulleys or washes until it meets is absorbed, detained, out runs into a larger permanent body of water. In urbanized areas, they may build flood channels and detention basins to capture the stormwater to somewhat control the flow.

The Las Vegas valley, where I grew up, has been constantly building flood control infrastructure for 30+ years, despite averaging less than 4 inches of rain per year. These flash floods can be crazy and destructive. (The destructive force of water is part of the reason Hoover Dam exists.)

Here's a phrase I like to use: "Nature holds all the aces." When you talk about almost seven inches of rain falling in a matter of only a few hours, especially in a spot that doesn't get a hell of a lot of rain in the first place, all that water has to go somewhere, and man's works are frequently susceptible to nature's rampages. This one is not just on inadequate or poorly maintained infrastructure like the I-35 bridge collapse in Minnesota some years back; with all that rain falling at once in an area that might average that much in a whole year,, it's possible even a new more modern bridge might've been compromised at least to some degree.

It'll make the drive between Phoenix and L.A. that much more tedious.

[ARMOURERERIC]

FWIW, Ramona where I used to live, had 4 inches of rain in 1-2 hours at the same time I am surprised there was not more damage.  I would be curious which CA 78 bridge is out.

[JustDrive]

78 is down to one lane near Glamis, hence its omission from the detour list.

For long-distance travel to Phoenix, I'd suggest AZ 85 instead of AZ 95.

[brad2971]

http://sv08data.dot.ca.gov/memos/files/comalert/072115_0.pdf

Caltrans says that Granite (their emergency contractor) can have the westbound lanes open by Friday at 12PM PDT. Keep your fingers crossed.

[DJStephens]

What is the exact location / milepost of this washout?  Near Indio?  Would suspect the collapsed span did not have a shoulder, as they were not required on Interstate bridges before a certain date - mid seventies perhaps?   Any new bridge should have an extra wide right breakdown lane - 12 feet, and perhaps spare capacity for an additional future third lane on the inside, although it may be so far outside LA metro that it would never be needed.  Gabions near the abutments / wingwalls should help prevent undermining by future floods, along with paving the bottom of the wash with concrete in the area of the bridges. 

[gonealookin]

What is the exact location / milepost of this washout?

This is the bridge that washed out, eastbound lanes at "Tex Wash":
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.704102,-115.442385,3a,75y,90h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sm6JQHwa5cccQ7vZ8lXzL3g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[Big John]

Looking at the picture, the only thing that would make the bridge "functionally obsolete" was the narrow left shoulder.

[ARMOURERERIC]

I thought I read that the only deficiency was the side rails