A five-day closure of the westbound 210 Freeway in Irwindale is on track to end Tuesday morning, but not before the entire freeway is shut down in both directions late Monday night to allow crews to reconfigure the roadway back to normal.
Beginning last Wednesday night, the westbound side of the freeway was closed between Irwindale Avenue and the 605 Freeway to accommodate upgrades being made on the San Gabriel River Bridge. During the closure, all westbound traffic has been diverted onto the freeway's eastbound side, which was reconfigured to handle three lanes of traffic in each direction.
The result has been long delays for thousands of motorists who still tried to travel the roadway, despite warnings for people to seek out alternate routes or avail themselves of public transportation.
The full roadway is set to reopen no later than 5 a.m. Tuesday, according to Caltrans.
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But beginning at 10 p.m. Monday, the entire freeway will be closed in both directions so crews can realign traffic lanes back to the freeway's original configuration.
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In the meantime, Caltrans continues to urge motorists in the area to consider using the 10 or 60 freeways, or public transportation on the Metro L Line or Metrolink.
According to the agency, the closure is part of a $30 million project to upgrade the San Gabriel River Bridge by installing improved bridge hinges and railings and strengthening bridge decks.
In addition to closing the westbound side of the freeway, ramps from the westbound 210 to Irwindale Avenue and to the southbound 605 Freeway have also been closed during the work. Ramps from the 605 Freeway to the eastbound 210 Freeway were blocked as well.
A second five-day closure on the eastbound side of the freeway is being planned for August.
