A California bridge collapsed Sunday on a remote part of I-10 after heavy rains and now officials are inspecting all bridges along the stretch of highway.
The bridge was part of Interstate 10 in southeastern California and allowed traffic to come in and out of Arizona. The bridge’s collapse left one driver injured, and many
travelers stranded, according to The Associated Press.
The bridge, about 15 feet above the wash, gave way and fell into the flooding waters below, the California Highway Patrol said. One pickup truck driver fell when the freeway gave way but had only moderate injuries, officials said.
"Interstate 10 is closed completely and indefinitely," Terri Kasinga, spokeswoman for the California Department of Transportation, said.
The bridge’s collapse will force many travelers of I-10 to drive hundreds of miles far away to Interstate 40 to the north or to Interstate 8 to the south.
Unfortunately I-10 is the shortest distance between Los Angeles and Phoenix. On average more than 20,000 vehicles per day drive through the area that is now no longer in use, according to the AP.
The westbound section of the freeway near the small town of Desert Center was also closed due to damage from flooding, and may need to be repaired, said Kasinga.
No date has been announced as to when the bridge will be reopened, however crews have rushed from other projects to inspect the site.
"They won't even be able to begin assessing the damage until Monday," Kasinga said.
Hundreds of vehicles were stranded directly after the bridge’s collapse, however California Highway Patrol worked to divert the drivers in another direction off the road.
Pamala Browne and her daughter were on their way to Palm Desert, Arizona, when they were suddenly stranded after the westbound lanes closed.
"Oh my God, we are
so stuck out here," Browne said to the Desert Sun newspaper. "There's no end to the cars that are stuck out here."
Many took to Twitter when the portion of I-10 collapsed:
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