Westbound Whitewater rest area closed until after Christmas
The Whitewater rest area on Interstate 10 westbound is closed and will remain closed until after Christmas, according to Joy M. Schneider, CalTrans District 8 public information officer.
The snakebitten stop along the freeway has had periodic closures, some lasting months, dating back at least to 2014. According to the California Highway Patrol, Thursday's closure comes "due to plumbing issues".
The most consistent problem afflicting the rest area for the past five years has usually been rooted in the water pump which is shared by both the westbound stop and eastbound stop.
The current closure is only affecting the westbound area.