BACKUP IN THE PASS: Up to 3,500 Vehicles at One Time Caught in 'Fiasco'

As many as 3,500 vehicles at a time were caught in the 20-mile backup Sunday in the San Gorgonio Pass, according to a traffic surveillance and traffic flow specialist at UC Irvine's Institute of Transportation Studies.

Postdoctoral scholar Andre Tok based his estimate on Banning-Beaumont Patch photographs of the Sunday backup, vehicle spacing, and authorities' reports that it stretched from Banning as far east as Indian Avenue in Palm Springs.

"Eyeballing from the photos, it seems like the clearance between cars is about a vehicle length, this would indicate a vehicle spacing of about 30-40 feet, assuming those pictures are representative of the overall queue,"  Tok said Wednesday in email and phone interviews.

"Using that assumption, the number of vehicles on a four lane facility over 20 miles would be 2,600 to 3,500 vehicles."

Caltrans has traffic detectors on some of Southern California's busiest freeways, but Tok researched location of the detectors Wednesday and found none on the stretch of Interstate 10 that backed up eastbound from Banning.

"There are no detectors in that area that report traffic data," Tok said. "The furthest east traffic detector station along the I-10 freeway is located in Beaumont, which is still west of Banning."

Tok's estimate, and others like it, will be part of ongoing discussions as motorists who were caught in the Sunday chaos, Caltrans and California Highway Patrol officials, and elected leaders seek answers and accountability.

The Robertson's Ready Mix Concrete plant in Cabazon played a role in the construction delays that led to the backup, Caltrans spokeswoman Terri Kasinga and CHP Officer Darren Meyer said Wednesday.

The contractor, Professional Construction Services, reported batch plant problems at 7 a.m. Sunday, according to Caltrans.

The plant is east of the area where slabs were removed Sunday on the westbound 10 in Banning, forcing escorted trucks to crawl through jammed traffic circles and surface streets in Cabazon, and the westbound backup to reach the construction site between East Ramsey and Sunset Avenue, Meyer said Wednesday in a phone interview.

Caltrans District 8 Director Raymond W. Wolfe has already termed the Sunday backup and circumstances that led to it a "fiasco."

Wolfe removed the resident engineer and all inspection staff involved in the project on Monday, and "additional personnel actions will be levied as appropriate," he told elected officials in a private email obtained by Banning-Beaumont Patch earlier this week.

Wolfe's acceptance of full responsibility for the traffic mess, and a public Caltrans apology notwithstanding, several elected leaders made it clear Wednesday they expect more in the way of answers.

"The Caltrans director characterized this as a fiasco and I have to say that I agree," said Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit, whose 4th District includes 420,000 residents from Desert Hot Springs to the Colorado River.

"Beginning with the fact that the contractor didn't get the cement on time, and they didn't notify Caltrans on-site that concrete had not even arrived at 7 a.m., when the closure was supposed to be picked up," Benoit said.

Benoit said he has asked Wolfe and representatives of the CHP to come to the Board of Supervisors meeting Feb. 28 to explain what happened.

"By that time I expect to get answers on exactly what happened at the batch plant, and why the on-site Caltrans supervisor didn't ring all the bells to warn everybody at that point," Benoit said.

"My wife was stuck in that traffic for three hours," Benoit said. "She got on in Bermuda Dunes and was headed to a play in Orange County, which she missed. That's just one story among tens of thousands, and all of them potentially could have been avoided if Caltrans and the CHP had put out an alert that the closure was going to go a much longer time than expected. . . .

"At 7 in the morning they knew the road would not be open until at least 1 or 2 in the afternoon," Benoit said. "And on a Sunday that means miles of traffic."

Assemblyman Paul Cook, R-Yucca Valley, whose 65th District includes Banning, Beaumont, Cherry Valley, Calimesa and Yucaipa, was among several elected officials who issued statements Wednesday about the backup in the Pass.

"The causes of this weekend's I-10 backup were two-fold in nature," Cook said. "The contractor didn’t complete the project on time due to problems at a concrete plant, and CalTrans wasn't able to notify the media so that motorists were aware of the extended closure.

"I'm not convinced that diverting traffic to Banning's surface streets would have alleviated the congestion, as many motorists were travelling to Palm Springs to participate in the Tour de Palm Springs," Cook said. "There are no alternate routes to the Coachella Valley from Banning. Truly, it was a perfect storm of problems for CalTrans. . . .

"I think this closure underscores the need for a bypass from Banning to Highway 111. There have been discussions about this issue at regional transportation meetings, but hopefully this incident serves as the impetus to get a project off the ground," Cook said.

"In the event that a major earthquake or weather event closes the I-10 corridor, Coachella Valley residents are literally cut off from the Inland Empire."

Assemblyman V. Manuel Pérez, D-Coachella, whose 80th District includes Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City, La Quinta, Coachella, Indio and Blythe, also issued a statement.

"It is appropriate that Caltrans has issued a public apology related to its botched handling of Sunday's early morning road work on I-10 that resulted in a 21-mile traffic delay lasting late into the evening," Pérez said. "This is a situation that was entirely preventable. . . .

"Though I was not contacted by Caltrans, I understand that an email was sent to local officials to inform them of department actions, including administrative and other changes, to prevent such a fiasco from repeating itself," Pérez said. "I have contacted Caltrans to request a copy of this letter."

Pérez said he plans to have at least one staff member at the Feb. 28 Board of Supervisors meeting, when Wolfe is expected to discuss Caltrans' handling of construction and the backup.

At the federal level, Rep. Bono Mack, R- Palm Springs, has asked Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to examine the "massive traffic jam which paralyzed a 21-mile stretch of Interstate 10 over the weekend," and to offer recommendations on how to prevent similar traffic tie-ups in the future.

"I am writing to express my extreme frustration, a feeling which I'm sure you will share, with the intolerable and unacceptable situation that occurred this past Sunday, February 12, in my district on Interstate 10," Bono Mack stated in a letter distributed to news media Wednesday.

"What should have been a routine overnight repair turned into a 21-mile traffic jam with thousands of motorists stranded on the highway for hours upon hours with nowhere to go.

"The California Department of Transportation planned to fill potholes Saturday evening on the I-10 between Palm Springs and Banning, a project that was supposed to be completed by 7 am on Sunday before traffic picked up on the busy freeway.

"With difficulties beginning at the concrete plant, concrete was not poured and dried until 9:30 Sunday night - nearly 15 hours behind schedule - leaving thousands of people stranded in a massive traffic jam.

"Moreover, efforts to communicate this traffic nightmare to the public were delayed, exacerbating the problem.

"As you know, I-10 is one of the busiest and most used highways in the United States and serves as a major east-west commercial corridor, making this a national problem and not just a regional one.

"In reaction to this incident, local officials are now working with the State of California to address the problem, but it has happened before and it will happen again unless a smart plan is put in place.

"With your expertise and long-time experience in handling the federal transportation system, are there any recommendations that you can offer the California Department of Transportation and local officials to ensure a safe and efficient plan to manage the I-10 and hopefully prevent situations like this from happening again?

"We would welcome your advice."

Bono Mack ended her letter by urging LaHood to consider construction of an electronic message board located east of the Highway 62 junction with the 10, to warn motorists leaving the Coachella Valley and entering the San Gorgonio Pass of similar problems in the future.