California Officials Propose Changes to Freeway ‘Airspace’ Storage Program

In the wake of an underpass fire that shut down a segment of Interstate 10 in downtown Los Angeles last November, California transportation officials want to make changes to the state program that leases space under and near freeways, known as ‘airspace.’

As Christopher Weber explains in an article for ABC 7, the changes “would explicitly ban storage of hazardous materials like wood pallets and gasoline and provide more scrutiny of people who want to rent out the properties.”

The fire that broke out on November 11 of last year was fueled by wooden pallets, hand sanitizer, and other materials stored in violation of the lease and damaged the freeway structure. “Since the fire, Caltrans has inspected 47 sites, most of which were identified as potentially high-risk and some that have more than one parcel. Of these parcels, more than three quarters failed their inspections.”