REOPENED I-5 SURPRISINGLY CLEAR AS COMMUTERS TAKE ALTERNATIVES.

Byline: JERRY BERRIOS and PATRICIA FARRELL AIDEM

Staff Writers

NEWHALL -- Traffic zipped easily through the normally clogged Newhall Pass on Monday after Interstate 5 lanes reopened ahead of schedule and investigators continued to search for clues to a deadly chain-reaction crash that closed the key north-south highway for days.

While transit officials had braced for massive gridlock, more than a quarter-million commuters took alternate routes or mass transit and left the Golden State Freeway lanes clear.

But even as traffic concerns eased, officials began stepping up their probe into what set off the fiery collision of 30 trucks and a car on a rainy Friday night, leaving three people dead and 10 injured.

At least nine drivers who apparently escaped from vehicles trapped in the burning truck bypass tunnel in the Newhall Pass had not yet contacted the Highway Patrol, officials said.

Trucker Ricardo Cibrian of Los Angeles is presumed to be one of the two men killed in the crash. Trucker Hugo Rodriguez and his 6-year-old son, Isaiah, are the other two believed to have died. They reportedly were from Fresno.

"This is the worst accident that I have personally seen," said Warren Stanley, assistant chief for the California Highway Patrol's Southern Division and a 25-year CHP veteran.

One team of CHP specialists was working to identify the missing drivers as well as passengers and witnesses. Another team is working to identify the commercial vehicles -- some of them burned to charred metal frames -- through the trucking companies.

Coroner's investigators have been through all the vehicles and believe there are no more bodies, Stanley said.

The cause of the crash has not been determined.

Fire raged in the tunnel just before midnight Friday into Saturday, compromising the structure. Passenger lanes cross over the damaged tunnel and state Transportation Department officials initially thought it could take days to ensure they were structurally sound.

The freeway was shut down over the weekend and commuters were warned to find alternate routes to work Monday.

But crews completed shoring up the tunnel, making it safe for repair teams to move in. Engineers determined that the freeway was safe and all lanes were opened shortly after 3 a.m. Monday.

"It is, for us, a very good day here in California," said Doug Failing, Caltrans district director for Los Angeles and Ventura counties. "I got into this business because I love seeing traffic move."

Failing said he will have a better idea of when the tunnel will open at the end of the week when he gets test results back.

Concrete and steel reinforcement samples are being tested at a Texas lab to determine how the tunnel materials withstood the temperatures that reached 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Caltrans' goal, he said, is to repair the tunnel without closing the freeway again.

"I-5 is open to traffic and it is our intention to keep it that way," Failing said.

During the repairs, lighting will also be enhanced in the tunnel.

There is no cost estimate for the repairs, but Caltrans has an emergency authorization of $2.25 million for the initial work.

For now, all lanes are open except for the southbound I-5 connector to northbound Route 14. And it could be weeks or months before the southbound truck tunnel reopens.

"The southbound truck bypass is closed and will remain closed for an indefinite period of time," Failing said.

Caltrans and the city of Santa Clarita urged commuters to continue seeking alternates because the endless stream of big rigs traversing California's main north-south freeway artery will share the road with passenger vehicles -- a rough mix on the busy road to work.

The speed limit has been reduced to 55 mph.

To help reduce the impact of the freeway mess on commuters, Metrolink expanded its service between northern Los Angeles County and downtown Los Angeles. The additional service will continue today.

On Monday, the I-5 and the Antelope Valley Freeway that feeds it just south of the tunnel were exceptionally clear.

Expecting heavy freeway traffic, about twice the usual number of commuters crowded Santa Clarita's three Metrolink stations before dawn hoping to avoid freeway jams that never materialized.

It was standing room only on the Antelope Valley Line by the time the extended six-car train reached its final Santa Clarita stop in Newhall.

Even though southbound freeway lanes were open, motorists said they opted for the train to avoid the long ride home, unaware that the northbound lanes also would reopen two days ahead of schedule.

"I didn't want to drive home," said Michelle Debardas of Valencia, a Metrolink first-time rider who works at a Glendale title company. "Getting to work didn't look so bad, but coming home could take hours."

Richard Freund said he, too, was climbing aboard the commuter train for the first time.

"I definitely thought about taking it before but now I have a good reason," said Freund, who works for a jeans company in downtown Los Angeles.

Debbie Vickers, who works in a downtown law office, opted for Metrolink after it took two hours Sunday to get five miles down the road.

She finally gave up on her trip to the San Fernando Valley.

"I can't believe this crowd," she said, as hundreds waited for the 6:08 a.m. train in the dark and fog.

Regular Metrolink riders weren't thrilled with the onslaught of passengers.

"I usually sleep on my way to work," said Kenny Miles, a Valencia resident who works as an administrative assistant downtown. "I'm not sure I'll get to sit this morning."

On Sunday, reporters brought up truckers' concerns about the tunnel's safety.

"Quite frankly, I was caught by surprise at that," Failing said. "We have had no record of complaints in my office."

His staff has looked at crash records from 2004 through 2006 at the tunnel site.

"During that three-year period, we've only identified five accidents that happened in that stretch," Failing said.

He said the agency will be following up on the complaints.

"A tunnel is not usually your first choice when you are trying to solve a transportation problem, but at some point in time a tunnel is the only choice you have available," Failing added.

State Assemblyman Cameron Smyth, a former Santa Clarita mayor, said he worked with the Governor's Office to declare a state of emergency.

"What that does is free up the resources of the state to enable the construction and improvements to occur as quickly as possible to improve the commerce and improve the transportation," said Smyth, R-Santa Clarita.

The Interstate Commerce Act allows trucks to mingle with cars on traditional lanes, Smyth said.

pat.aidem(at)dailynews.com

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Witnesses to Friday's truck collision are asked to call the California Highway Patrol's Newhall office at [phone].

CAPTION(S):

4 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) Much like in the morning, the afternoon rush-hour traffic wasn't too bad Monday on the Golden State Freeway.

(2) Caltrans and towing companies work Monday on moving what's left of the twisted metal of 30 big rigs and a car involved in Friday's deadly tunnel crash on the Golden State Freeway.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News

(3 -- 4) The Metrolink station in Santa Clarita was packed Monday morning with new and returning patrons who were riding the train to avoid the anticipated traffic. Even with some early fog, the freeway, below, had little congestion from morning commuters.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer

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