LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom today thanked federal partners for their continued support to expedite the rebuilding of the I-10 freeway, including by allocating $3 million in “quick release” Emergency Relief funding to the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) as the work continues to get the freeway back up and running again. Earlier today, the Mayor spoke with Vice President Kamala Harris about work to urgently repair the 10. The Mayor thanked the Vice President for her support in this effort.
“I want to thank Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt, and the Biden-Harris Administration for their unwavering support in helping us rebuild one of the busiest freeways in the country,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “On Saturday I spoke to Secretary Buttigieg, and on Monday Federal Highway Administrator Bhatt traveled to Los Angeles to assess the damage. Now, the Federal Highway Administration has delivered much-needed funding to help accelerate the rebuilding of the 10 Freeway. We will continue to ensure that there are no bureaucratic barriers to repairing the freeway and will work 24/7 to get it back up and running. I look forward to continued partnership with the White House, Governor Gavin Newsom, Senator Alex Padilla, Senator Laphonza Butler, and Congressman Jimmy Gomez, as well as our local partners as we work together over the next few weeks to get this job done.”
“I want to thank the Biden Administration for their continued partnership to help California fix the 10,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. “Fixing this freeway is critical to restoring the movements of people and goods in the third-largest metropolitan economy in the world. With President Biden’s support to rebuild critical infrastructure, California is leveraging an all-of-government approach — working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week — to fix the 10 as quickly as possible so we can get LA’s traffic moving safely in December.”
These emergency funds are the result of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Mayor Bass helped pass during her tenure in Congress. The Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief program provides funding for highways and bridges damaged by natural disasters or catastrophic events. These “quick release” Emergency Relief funds are an initial installment of funds to help reopen the freeway.
The Mayor continues to note that despite the good news of the freeway repair timeline, she will continue to bring urgency as she and local, state and federal officials move forward with continuous efforts to help mitigate the traffic impacts on communities and commuters.