INQUIRY LAUNCHED INTO ROAD'S FLOODING SCENE OF WOMAN'S DEATH TO BE CHECKED FOR PROBLEMS.Byline: Lisa Van Proyen Staff Writer Reacting to a fatal crash on the Ronald Reagan Freeway in Pacoima during a fierce storm last week, Caltrans officials said Tuesday that they will investigate whether flooding is a problem there. The agency is opening its investigation at the urging of Assemblyman as·sem·bly·man n. A man who is a member of a legislative assembly. assemblyman Noun pl -men a member of a legislative assembly Noun 1. Tony Cardenas Tony Cardenas served in the California State Assembly. In the Assembly, he had the powerful position of chair of the Budget Committee. He is now a Los Angeles City Councilman, representing the 6th district, which includes parts of the San Fernando Valley. , D-Panorama City, who said at least five people have reported flooding in the same area where Cristina Montoya was killed Feb. 21 when water splashed on her car's windshield. ``I am writing you to request that Caltrans investigate the location where Cristina died because a problem may exist that requires immediate action from the state,'' Cardenas said in his Feb. 25 letter to the Department of Transportation. ``Is it a grading problem? A drainage problem? I want to find out. If there's a problem, I'm going to demand that something be done,'' Cardenas said in an interview. Caltrans officials said they have received no complaints about flooding on this stretch of freeway, but that hydraulic engineers will check. ``They'll investigate, review records and look at drains,'' said Patricia Reid, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Transportation The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is a government agency in the U.S. state of California. Its mission is to improve mobility across the state. It manages the state highway system and is actively involved with public transportation systems in California. in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . Just two days after their wedding, Montoya was on the 118 Freeway when a truck splashed water onto the car's windshield. Her husband, who was driving, lost control. The California Highway Patrol highway patrol n. A state law enforcement organization whose police officers patrol the public highways. is investigating the cause of the crash. For Cardenas, the tragedy struck a personal chord chord, in geometry chord (kôrd), in geometry, straight line segment both end points of which lie on the circumference of a circle or other curve; it is a segment of a secant. A chord passing through the center of a circle is a diameter. . Cristina helped work on his election campaign, and he helped her mariachi mariachi Traditional Mexican street ensemble. The performer, the musical style, and the musical ensemble are called mariachi. Mariachi music emerged in the late 1700s or early 1800s. band raise money to buy uniforms. ``She was very sweet, hardworking and humble. She cared about the community. I was very saddened about her death,'' Cardenas said. Caltrans officials said they do not keep a record of freeway sections that routinely flood because it can occur anywhere, depending on the amount of rain and whether the drains are clogged. ``It's just like a drain in your home. It can flood up at any time, depending on what you put down it,'' said Mike Miles, division chief for maintenance at Caltrans in Los Angeles. Crews will check whether drains on the 118 Freeway need to be improved by increasing their capacity or by changing the slope of the road. Reid said Caltrans maintenance crews are on a 24-hour watch during storms. At a cost of $14 million each year, the crews vacuum trash and debris from Los Angeles County's 22,000 drains, she said. ``We pick up enough trash to fill the (Los Angeles Memorial) Coliseum Coliseum: see Colosseum. 11 feet deep each year,'' Miles said. |
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