More than a month after being closed following a 31-vehicle pile-up, the southbound Interstate 5 Newhall Pass truck lanes and tunnel re-opened on Nov. 15. The tunnel has been closed since Oct. 12, when the pile-up ignited a fire that closed the freeway in both directions. “Keeping people and goods moving across our state is vital to our economy, so I am proud to announce the opening of this tunnel for the thousands of motorists who depend on I-5,” Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said. “I want to thank motorists for their patience during this emergency. I commend Caltrans Director Will Kempton, his entire team and the contractor for working around-the-clock to get this project done ahead of time.” Caltrans awarded a contract for the repair work to Security Paving of Oxnard on Oct. 29. The repairs were completed 15 days before the earliest projected opening date. The contractor will earn a $2.9 million bonus for completing the $11 million project early.
