Your July 20 Pre-Trip: CA I-10 closed at collapsed bridge

July 20, 2015

Here are five things worth knowing today: 1. A bridge collapse Sunday afternoon in Desert Center, CA, closed I-10, the main roadway between Southern California and Phoenix, the Desert Sun reports. The collapse injured one man and stranded hundreds of motorists, according to the Sun. “The Tex Wash bridge, built on the eastbound I-10 in 1967, was listed as functionally obsolete in the 2014 National Bridge Inventory,” according to the report. “Essentially, the bridge was listed as no longer adequate for its task, though it was not listed as having known structural problems that needed to be fixed.” According to the report, as the Tex Wash bridge collapsed, it struck an adjacent bridge on the westbound side. Both lanes of I-10 will be closed until a California Department of Transportation engineer deems at least the westbound lane safe, the report said. That means I-10 could be closed for days, according to the Sun.2. Some Senators from both parties are confident that they could finish a $275 billion, six-year highway bill before the July 31 deadline, according to The Hill. The House passed a five-month patch last week, “with leading Republicans there believing that will allow them to negotiate a tax reform deal that will pay for some sort of long-term highway deal that has eluded Congress for years,” The Hill said. “Even a three-year deal would be an accomplishment for lawmakers, given that no transportation bill has lasted longer than two years in a decade.”3. California Gov. Jerry Brown is determined to cut greenhouse gas levels in the state by 2030, according to Mobil Magazine. According to the report, a third of the population deals with sub-standard air quality, mainly caused by numerous oil refineries, industrial facilities and motor vehicle pollution. Brown’s plan is to make the freight system greener, and it will most likely focus on emissions-free ports, trucks and trains, according to the report. Mobile Magazine said the California Trucking Association has expressed some concern over the plan, noting new efficient technology might be costly for the trucking industry.4. New York state transportation officials announced $17 million in grants is available for improving rail and port facilities across the state, The Daily Star reports. According to the report, the funding is intended to “boost freight capacity on railroads and at ports to reduce truck traffic on the state’s highways.”5. Halvor Lines and Sue Vinje Trucking, two Superior-based trucking companies, have merged, according to the Duluth News Tribune. The companies, which are owned by members of the same family, have worked together over the years, the Tribune said. With the merger, the company now has 425 employees, 350 tractors and 880 vans, flatbed and refrigerated trailers, according to the Tribune. The company serves customers in 49 states and Canada, the report said.

About the Author

Cristina Commendatore

Cristina Commendatore was previously the Editor-in-chief of FleetOwner magazine. She reported on the transportation industry since 2015, covering topics such as business operational challenges, driver and technician shortages, truck safety, and new vehicle technologies. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut.