I-10 east of Indio to reopen Friday after bridge collapse

DESERT CENTER, Calif. (KABC) -- The Interstate 10 east of Indio is scheduled to reopen on Friday after a bridge collapsed and shut down the major artery between Los Angeles and Phoenix.

One lane in each direction will open on what was once the westbound side of the Tex Wash Bridge at Desert Center, Caltrans officials announced Tuesday.

Until then, drivers will be forced to find alternative routes, as the I-10 remains shut down from Indio to the Arizona state line.

Caltrans officials suggested taking detour routes such as Arizona Route 95 to Interstate 40, Interstate 8 to State Route 111 to State Route 86 or State Route 177 to State Route 62 to access I-10.

"You got to plan way ahead. It's one of them things. What are you going to do? It's Mother Nature," truck driver Steve Gyure said.

On Sunday, a 30-foot stretch of a bridge collapsed at Desert Center amid heavy rains in the area.

About 27,000 vehicles drive that route daily. The Riverside County Board of Supervisors estimates 40 percent of goods shipped through the country pass through the corridor.

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Some are using Route 62 to the north as detour, a route that adds another hour at least.

For a gas station along Old Woman Springs Road, business is booming.

"A lot better for business. It's a bad way to happen, but it's helped out a lot," said Thamar Fakhoury, of Yucca Valley.

For other communities, like Chiraco Summit, the closure is crippling, because they need I-10 traffic to survive. The General Patton Memorial Museum shut down.

After the collapse, Caltrans inspected other bridges in the area and found two were in need of minor repairs. Repairs for the Adair Ditch Bridge and Hillock Ditch Bridge are expected to be completed Tuesday.