Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass rode a Metro line during the Wednesday, Nov. 15, morning commute, as she continued to call on residents in the greater L.A. area to use mass transit while the I-10 Freeway remains closed – especially with rain expected to hit the area over the next few days.
“This morning, I didn’t sit in any traffic on my way to work thanks to Metro. My ride was fast and easy, thanks in part to the partnership between the City and Metro to speed up the E Line trains while the freeway closure is ongoing,” Bass said in a statement. “I hope more Angelenos will join me on Metro to help alleviate traffic, prepare for the rain and consider taking public transportation when possible as a more climate-friendly travel option.”
The mayor rode the E (Expo) line from the Expo/Western Station to the Little Tokyo/Arts District Station.
Bass also spent part of the morning riding a helicopter over downtown L.A. to assess traffic conditions near the freeway closure, including the impact to local streets. She and L.A. Fire Chief Kristin Crowley took a similar helicopter tour Tuesday to assess evening rush-hour traffic.
The mayor also toured the I-10 construction site, where California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) emergency contractors have been working around the clock to clear debris and begin repair work on this major artery, which normally sees about 300,000 vehicles passing through daily.
“While our progress has been tremendous, we must continue with urgency,” Bass said about the repair work after touring the construction site.
Later in the day, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Bass thanked the federal government for allocating $3 million in emergency relief funding to Caltrans to expedite the repair work.
The governor’s office also announced that all hazardous materials – about 264,000 cubic square feet of material and debris, or enough to fill four Olympic-sized swimming pools – had been cleared from the construction site two days…
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