SANTA CLARITA, CALIF. — With the workweek fast approaching, authorities scrambled Sunday to move traffic around a major artery out of Los Angeles that was shut down by a fiery interstate tunnel pileup.
The main southbound lanes of Interstate 5 were to reopen this morning, authorities said, helping alleviate some of the problem.
But on Sunday, Interstate 5 was still shut down in both directions, snarling traffic on surrounding roads, where drivers looked for alternative routes after Friday night’s pileup crash left more than two dozen trucks and other vehicles in flames.
Commuters who depend on the stretch of freeway, which carries about 225,000 vehicles a day, faced the prospect of a nightmare getting to and from work.
“We’re doing everything we can … and we’ll continue to re-evaluate our alternate traffic routes,” said Warren Stanley, California Highway Patrol assistant chief.
Investigators determined that 31 vehicles – including big rigs and one passenger vehicle – were involved in the crash 30 miles north of Los Angeles that killed two men and an infant and injured at least 10 people, authorities said.
The fire spread from vehicle to vehicle, sent flames shooting nearly 100 feet in the air outside the tunnel and reached temperatures as high as 1,400 degrees.
The southbound lanes of I-5 were closed for 2 1/2 miles; the northbound side was closed for about a mile. Two northbound truck-bypass lanes around the crash site, which cars would be permitted to use, could be reopened by this morning, said Deborah Harris, California Department of Transportation spokeswoman.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles County, which will allow the state to deploy emergency workers and equipment and give aid to local government.
Stanley refused to speculate on the cause of the crash. He said he did not know when findings would be released.
