LA officials making public transportation easier in wake of 10 Freeway closure

To ease the burden of traffic on Angelenos while repairs continue on the 10 Freeway, Los Angeles officials have made Commuter Express buses free for trips to downtown and taken other measures, officials said on Wednesday morning, Nov. 15.

The Department of Transportation Dash buses remain free and officials were hoping to make other improvements after seeing increases in transit ridership and vehicle congestion on city streets surrounding the freeway closure on Tuesday.

The city saw a 15% increase in traffic on city streets surrounding the closure and traffic levels were 26% above normal on detour routes, said Laura Rubio-Cornejo, DOT’s general manager.

“These streets are some of the most congested corridors,” she said. “Angelenos can make a difference. Any person who chooses not to drive on those routes makes a difference.”

L.A. Metro was adding additional buses to routes 66 and 251 as the two lines saw the most delays Tuesday, Randall Winston, deputy mayor of infrastructure, said at a Wednesday morning press conference.

The city was also working to coordinate traffic signals in hopes of providing a 10% increase in speed to Metro’s E Line, which runs from East Los Angeles to Santa Monica and parallel to the closure.

Mayor Bass planned to take a ride on the E Line later Tuesday morning.

With rain expected, Mayor Bass directed the DOT to increase the number of officers on the street to help motorists navigate traffic lights, Winston said.

“With rain coming, the mayor has steps in place to mitigate the impacts,” Winston said.

Starting Tuesday, Metrolink also increased the number of trains from the Inland Empire to downtown Los Angeles, though further information on that wasn’t immediately known.

Rafael Molina, an assistant district manager for Caltrans, said taking Metrolink from the San Gabriel Valley could ease an increase in congestion on the 10 Freeway westbound from the 605 Freeway, which saw an increase in delays from 16 minutes last week to 33 minutes on Tuesday.

The 10 Freeway has been fully closed from Alameda Street to Santa Fe Avenue since Saturday when a pallet fire underneath the bridge erupted to cause significant damage.

Officials are blaming arson, but no arrests had been disclosed.

On Tuesday, officials estimated freeway repairs would take three to five weeks.

Commuters were encouraged to take public transportation to reduce the vehicles on the road. For those who choose to drive, officials have recommended using the 5, 101 or 110 freeways.