Rep. Mary Bono Mack’s Letter Asking For Federal Help On I-10

The Honorable Ray LaHood Secretary U.S. Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Ave, SE Washington, DC 20590

Dear Secretary LaHood:

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. 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.

Additionally, I agree with an editorial published this week by my hometown newspaper, The Desert Sun, which calls for the construction of an electronic message board located before the Highway 62 turnoff to warn motorists of any similar problems in the future. I urge you and the State of California to explore this improvement to the I-10.

I appreciate your consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you.