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Pothole Damages Tires Of Roughly 40 Vehicles On I-5 In Boyle Heights

BOYLE HEIGHTS (CBSLA.com) — The transition road from southbound Interstate 5 to eastbound Interstate 10 was reopened Tuesday after a pothole damaged the tires of roughly 40 vehicles.

KNX 1070's Margaret Carrero reports it took nearly six hours for Caltrans crews to fix the pothole, which may have been prompted by a late-night accident in which a tow truck carrying a cement truck overturned on the transition ramp.

Pothole Damages Tires Of Roughly 40 Vehicles On I-5 In Boyle Heights

The transition road was closed as Caltrans crews worked to repair the roughly six-foot-long by three-feet-wide hole that was discovered around 6 a.m. this morning, officials said.

"It was a dent, there was no exposed rebar last night," said CalTrans spokesperson Maria Raptis.

Over two dozen drivers reported damage including bent rims, broken axles and flat tires due to the pothole, KCAL9's Cristy Fajardo reported.

So many vehicles were damaged that cars lined the shoulder of the transition ramp near Mission Road before as many as a dozen tow trucks were summoned for help.

"We hit a huge pothole on our way to Disneyland," said one driver. "Happy New Year's Eve to us, right?"

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A crash involving two big rigs occurred near the same area Monday night, but it wasn't immediately clear if the incidents were related.

All lanes were reopened by 2 p.m., authorities said.

Drivers affected by the pothole were instructed to forward any damage claims to Caltrans, according to Fajardo.

(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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