"Several California lawmakers are questioning the efficacy of the state's transportation agencies after a major interstate in Southern California was unexpectedly shut down three times in the last three months. California state Sen. Catherine Blakespear led an inquiry and wrote a letter Monday to the California Department of Transportation, the California Highway Patrol and the San Diego Police Department, questioning the three abrupt freeway closures on Interstate 5."
"The first closure, on Oct. 18, lasted from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., when the interstate was closed for up to four hours for the 250th U.S. Marine Corps celebration, including a live-fire demonstration. The announcement came the morning of the event, when, 48 hours prior, the Marines said in a statement that the freeway would not be closed, and a Caltrans representative told SFGATE Caltrans had "cautioned against it.""
"The freeway has since closed twice more for police activity. On Nov. 22, Interstate 5 came to a halt from about 1:05 a.m. to 3:30 p.m during a police pursuit that began in Buena Park. Traffic on the southbound side was diverted while lanes on the northbound side slowly reopened. The freeway closed again on Dec. 5 for almost eight hours while police talked a man off a ledge on the Del Mar Heights Road overpass. Lawmakers said in the letter there was "little-to-no communication" during the incident."
Three abrupt closures of Interstate 5 in Southern California occurred within three months, disrupting a major route linking San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles. The Oct. 18 closure lasted up to four hours for a 250th U.S. Marine Corps celebration with a live-fire demonstration; Marines had said 48 hours earlier the freeway would not be closed and a Caltrans representative cautioned against it. On Nov. 22, I-5 was halted roughly 1:05 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. during a police pursuit, with southbound traffic diverted. On Dec. 5, the freeway closed for almost eight hours while police negotiated with a man on a Del Mar Heights Road overpass amid reports of little-to-no communication. The repeated closures raised concerns about agency coordination and emergency communication.
Read at SFGATE
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