I-210 freeway set for second long closure

San Gabriel Valley drivers will have to deal with another 126-hour closure of the I-210 freeway starting Wednesday night, Aug. 17, this time going in the eastbound direction.

The first round of closures occurred on the westbound side of the freeway last month, narrowing the whole freeway to just three lanes in both directions and causing commuting delays felt across many cities other than Duarte and Irwindale, the towns nearest the I-605 on-ramp and Irwindale Avenue corridor where the construction is taking place. 

Expect the same snarls

Other than starting an hour earlier on Aug. 17 workers are essentially on the same schedule, with construction ongoing until the planned reopening of the freeway at 5 a.m. on Aug. 23. 

The continuing construction is in an effort to finish replacing hinges that help keep the San Gabriel River Bridge in place, while also resetting concrete, installing steel rebar and working on the concrete medians on that side. 

‘We have to do it’

“The bridge essentially is 811-feet-long,” structural manager Qunh Nguyn told ABC7. “The challenge in this project is not just the upgrade of the hinges — two hinges — hinge four and six, but we have to do it for the first time in California.” 

While a full “carmageddon” didn’t necessarily take form with the last shutdown, drivers are again encouraged to avoid the area, expect delays, and consider different solutions, like working from home or taking the Metro L-Line. 

The 50-year-old bridge has needed these hinge repairs for a while now to make the bridge more fit for seismic movement or “[when] there’s a big load going through the freeway. So we want that movement and that flexibility on the bridge,” Caltrans Spokesperson Eric Menjivar told LAist. 

More upgrades

The hinge and concrete repairs are a part of a $31 million earthquake retrofitting project but aren’t the only renovations the freeway will see soon. 

In addition to finishing what they started on the westbound side, Caltrans crew began potholing on and off ramps along the stretch of the I-210 freeway between Sunland Avenue in Sunland-Tujunga and Arroyo Blvd. in Pasadena on Aug. 11 to meet the current Americans with Disabilities Act standards. 

This particular project is set to continue from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Friday, August 12 as well as Monday, August 15 at the following I-210 ramps:

• Eastbound on-ramp at Sunland Avenue
• Westbound on/off ramps at Sunland Avenue
• Westbound off-ramp at La Crescenta Avenue
• Eastbound on/off ramps at Ocean View Boulevard
• Eastbound on/off ramps at Angeles Crest Highway
• Eastbound off-ramp at Gould Avenue
• Eastbound on-ramp at Foothill Boulevard
• Westbound off-ramp at Arroyo Boulevard

Caltrans insists the potholing won’t cause any ramp or freeway lane closures, though they do warn that a work truck might safely block a ramp or street lane if necessary.

For live updates and more information, go to the Caltrans District 7 Twitter page.

Cervanté Pope can be reached at cpope@heymediagroup.com.