Caltrans announced Tuesday that a rain-damaged bridge on Interstate 10 east of Palm Springs will reopen at noon Friday with one lane operating in each direction.
One side of the Tex Wash Bridge collapsed on Sunday during record rain brought on by the remnants of Hurricane Dolores off Baja California.
Caltrans crews will strengthen the westbound side of the bridge in order to allow two-way traffic — one lane in each direction. Once I-10 is opened, work will commence on the collapsed eastbound side of the structure.
Emergency contractual procedures allowed Watsonville-based Granite Construction to be awarded the project on Monday, Caltrans said.
As a result of the weekend storm, Caltrans inspected other bridges in the area and two were found to need minor repairs — Adair Ditch Bridge and Hillock Ditch Bridge. The repairs on those bridge were to be completed Tuesday.
Interstate 10 is a major route east from Southern California, handling over 50,000 vehicles a day. That traffic has been diverted over an hours long detour on smaller desert highways.
