Flooding Traps Vehicles on Wilmington Bridge Detour

Vehicles became stranded in deep floodwater early on November 13 along Harry Bridges Boulevard and Alameda Street in Wilmington, near the Vincent Thomas Bridge. The roads serve as a detour while the bridge is closed for repairs and upgrades. The roadway was closed, and traffic was diverted elsewhere.

Three or more automobiles and a tractor-trailer could not move, with one account describing as many as eight vehicles trapped. Some drivers appeared to remain inside their vehicles; some stranded vehicles had to be towed. A woman who was caught in the water said she had taken the road as a detour but was unfamiliar with it.

The flooding followed rain and high tide. People who work nearby said the road typically floods by one or two inches during high tides. This time, water nearly covered the wheels of one car.

Los Angeles Sanitation crews were pumping water from the roadway, though Caltrans said high tide was making drainage more difficult. Caltrans was coordinating with Los Angeles city and county officials on an immediate response and longer-term fixes.

Harry Bridges Boulevard and Alameda Street were shut from Quay Avenue to East E Street, with no estimated reopening time. County Supervisor Janice Hahn urged Caltrans to find another detour, saying more rain was expected and commuters should not continue to be sent through a route that floods.