5-Day Closure of Eastbound 210 Freeway in Irwindale Area Set to End Tuesday

Following a five-day closure of the eastbound Foothill (210) Freeway in the Irwindale area — one that included three days of workday aggravations for commuters — normalcy is scheduled to return to the stretch of road Tuesday.

The eastbound freeway was closed at 10 p.m. Wednesday between the San Gabriel River (605) Freeway and Irwindale Avenue — but was scheduled to reopen at 5 a.m. Tuesday.

The closures were done to accommodate upgrades to the San Gabriel River Bridge.

During the closure, all eastbound traffic was diverted onto the westbound freeway, which was reconfigured to allow three lanes of traffic in each direction.

A similar closure on the westbound side last month led to major traffic tie-ups in both directions, and there was more of the same during this most recent, eastbound shutdown.

Caltrans officials had urged motorists to find alternate routes or rely on public transit to avoid delays.

The closure was part of a $30 million project to upgrade the San Gabriel River Bridge by installing improved bridge hinges and railings and strengthening bridge decks.

In addition to closing the eastbound side of the freeway, ramps from the 605 Freeway to the eastbound 210 were closed, along with the westbound 210 Irwindale Avenue onramps, the westbound 210 connector to the southbound 605 and the eastbound 210 Mount Olive Drive onramps, according to Caltrans.