10 Freeway closure in DTLA creates giant headache for rideshare drivers
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The 10 Freeway closure in downtown Los Angeles following a fire over the weekend is also affecting rideshare drivers who depend on freeways to make their living.
ABC7 caught up with a few frustrated drivers on Monday, like Abol Ghasem who starts his day in Downey and says traffic was at a crawl this morning.
"I live in Downey and I usually take the 5," said Ghasem who's been driving in L.A. for several years. "It was just jammed all the way unbelievable, I mean, 5 miles an hour."
He said the freeway is filled with people trying to change direction at the last minute
"Usually it takes 45 minutes from Downey to Union Station, which is 15 miles," said Ghasem, "But today everybody is switching over to 710 to the streets. No matter where I went it was packed."
Another driver picked up a passenger at the airport and took them to Union Station, only to find the traffic mess waiting for her.
"Oh my god, it took forever just to get here," said Nora Fentress who drives for Uber and Lyft. "I started off over by LAX and I had to keep braking every few seconds."
MORE | Cause of 10 Freeway fire in Los Angeles was arson, Newsom says
And one man had to park at a train station outside downtown to get to Union Station on the first day of his new job.
"I was driving in heard all the madness so pulled over in Industry and got the train to here." said Jose, who lives in Riverside and commutes to L.A. "Now I have to go back so I'm going to get an Uber back to the City of Industry train station."
Officials say it may take weeks for the 10 Freeway to be cleaned up and warn that traffic troubles will continue.
