With no firm timetable for the reopening of downtown Los Angeles segments of the 10 Freeway yet established amid damage from a mammoth weekend pallet fire, L.A. County residents rolled back to work on Tuesday, Nov. 11, with some folks choosing to ride public transport rather than return to jammed freeways.
Despite the shutdown, officials said Monday’s commutes weren’t as bad as they could have been.
Related: Can 10 Freeway closure be a defining moment for Mayor Karen Bass?
“What we saw was both encouraging, but a reminder of the significant challenges we face,” Laura Rubio-Cornejo, general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, said Tuesday morning. Metrolink, meanwhile, said it was increasing its frequency of service between San Bernardino into Los Angeles.
Rubio-Cornejo said surface streets in the area endured a 14.7% increase in traffic volume throughout the day — but that the spike in travelers didn’t result in extreme downtown gridlock. In fact, many downtown businesses say they saw a decrease in customers.
Angelenos are begin urged to use public transportation of at all possible. LADOT officials said Tuesday that they’re temporarily eliminating fares on its DASH and Commuter Express lines to help alleviate the traffic problems.
Officials said congestion was worse in the afternoon than in the morning on Monday, and they’re looking into the trend to see if there’s any action they can take to address that situation. They also mentioned that the rain in the forecast for Wednesday would likely make any traffic problems even worse.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass were expected to provide more information at a briefing later Tuesday morning, one day after Newsom said the fire that caused the closure is believed to have been intentionally set.
City officials continue to urge Angelenos to use public transportation of at all possible. LADOT officials said Tuesday that they’re temporarily eliminating fares on…
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