1 WB-lane on I-8 closed over Colorado River bridge

Emergency maintenance project will be completed in January

Drivers heading to California for Christmas on Interstate 8 should plan for delays, with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) closing one of the two westbound lanes on the bridge over the Colorado River near downtown Yuma.

According to Caltrans, the right-lane closure on the bridge will remain in place until an emergency maintenance repair project is completed in January.

The city of Yuma’s Friday Road Report said the lane closure extends from Giss Parkway in Yuma to the vicinity of Sidewinder Road, west of Winterhaven, Calif. The closure will be in place for about a month while a bridge expansion joint is repaired, the city said.

For updates, visit the Caltrans website and click on the link for District 11 — Imperial and San Diego counties. Information may also be available from the City News page of www.yumaaz.gov.

Motorists bound for Southern California may wish to consider using I-10 and allow extra time because of heavy holiday traffic.

There were reports of traffic backing up on Friday afternoon as it approached the bridge. I-8 is the main route through Arizona to the San Diego area, while I-10 leads to Los Angeles.

Early Friday evening, Yuma Police Department Sgt. Lori Franklin said the department hadn’t gotten any reports of traffic issues related to the land closure: “Not yet but I’m sure we will.”