5 tunnel open again

The southbound truck tunnel on Interstate 5 near Santa Clarita is expected to reopen at 5 p.m. today, more than a month after a fiery crash killed three people and temporarily severed one of California's most vital arteries.

Emergency repairs included replacement of slabs, concrete barriers and a metal guardrail, Caltrans officials said. The reopening comes 15 days earlier than expected.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger commended the contractor and Caltrans officials "for working around the clock to get this project completed ahead of time."

The contractor, Security Paving of Oxnard, will earn a $2.9-million bonus for completing the work by today, Caltrans officials said.

The contractor was awarded the $11-million contract Oct. 29, more than two weeks after an Oct. 12 chain-reaction pileup sparked a devastating inferno in the tunnel. If repairs had not been completed within 33 days, the company would have had to pay the state $150,000 a day for each additional day.

The 31-vehicle pileup generated intense heat estimated at up to 1,500 degrees, reducing many vehicles to bits of scrap metal. In addition to those killed, 10 motorists were injured.

The tunnel passes under the main freeway, which is supported by the tunnel's concrete roof.

Caltrans authorities initially warned that repair work could take months.

The freeway there carries about 225,000 vehicles a day. The non-truck lanes reopened the day after the accident after engineers determined there was no major structural damage. Since then, officials said congestion has worsened because slow-moving trucks have had to share the road with cars.

-- Megan Garvey

Comments

[Zohrab Getikian]

It is very funny. They can do that kind of repair within a few weeks yet exactly the same part of the freeway has been under repairs for almost 4 years. Several mile strech of 5 both ways, have in repair to add a carpool lane. It has been 4 years. I drive by the section at least 4 times a day. There are maybe two or three guys working on a section each time I pass by. I am not a contructor but some of the things I see is amazing such us building a section and then rebuilding again, several times. This section of the freeway has itself cripled the traffic. How is it that no one is paying attention to this yet the underpass got all the attention and the money and was completed so quickly. Is it because it has gread news coverage?