The incident was initially reported as a police chase after a recreational vehicle was seen driving erratically on the interstate, Caltrans spokeswoman Terri Kasinga said.
[Ads /]
The vehicle was stopped after the CHP deployed a spike strip in the area, located about halfway between Indio and Blythe, just after 10:30 a.m. The agency issued a SigAlert, according to an incident log.
[Ads /]
The CHP would not give details on why the freeway was closed for so long, but another CHP dispatcher previously said the shutdown was the result of a pursuit termination.
Eastbound and westbound traffic was stopped near Eagle Mountain Road, causing a backup for miles in each direction.
All lanes were back open shortly after 2 p.m.