Bridge collapse impacts southland economy

The collapsed bridge at Desert Center is costing time and money. The Development Management Group or DMG Economics in Palm Desert crunched the numbers. It calculated every day that the route between Phoenix and Los Angeles remains closed it costs more than a $1.5 million just to get drivers around the downed bridge.

Detours will force people to drive an average 61 additional miles.

The 12,500 passenger vehicles will travel an extra 25,000 hours per day. The 9,500 commercial truck drivers will spend 19,000 hours more driving. Based on national average labor costs that’s $432,440 in additional costs in labor.

“The months of July and August are some of the busiest months of goods movement as retailers prepare for the holidays,” said DMG chief economist Michael Bracken. “We’re looking at additional costs. If this were to last, those costs will hit the consumers in the form of additional transportation costs on the products they purchase in stores.”

Truck drivers at the Flying J gas station in Thousand Palms hope crews get the bridge gets fixed soon.

“I hope they do. This is our main artery. This is it. It’s like they shut the door on us,” said Harold Yakutis from Yucca Valley.