Caltrans

Flooding Washes Away Part of 10 Freeway in Riverside County

Lanes on the eastbound 10 Freeway between Los Angeles and Phoenix were closed due to damage from a summer storm in California.

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Heavy rain in Riverside County on Wednesday washed away part of the 10 Freeway, leaving some eastbound lanes closed until further notice.

As of Thursday morning at 6 a.m., the eastbound 10 Freeway remained closed just east of the 177 freeway, in the Desert Center area about 70 miles outside of Palm Springs. Some lanes reopened later Thursday, but it was not immediately clear when the freeway will fully reopen.

Drivers trying to get from SoCal to Arizona this weekend will have to find an alternate route, like the Caltrans-recommended 40 Freeway or 8 Freeway.

Caltrans announced the closure on Twitter and shared photos of the damage.

The closure started around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday night, with flooding on the roadway and an overturned big rig truck.

The westbound lanes of the freeway reopened just before 8 p.m.

The eastbound side of the freeway, on the other hand, still has a large chunk missing thanks to the floodwaters washing away the soil under the asphalt. Those lanes are still closed as of Thursday morning.

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