Freeway connector reopens

Mike Fardoun, right, a Caltrans engineer, takes a photograph of fellow engineer Gene Reyes next to the rebuilt underpass connecting the 2 Freeway with the northbound 5 freeway in Los Angeles.  (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

CHP Officer Chris Baldonado, left, and CHP Captain Greg Hammond, walk through tunnel before start of a press conference celebrating the reopening of the underpass connecting the 2 Freeway with the northbound 5 freeway in Los Angeles.  (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Caltrans engineer Tony Brake walks past the entrance to the tunnel that forms part of the connector from the northbound 2 Freeway to the northbound 5 during repair work.  (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

A wall of the tunnel damaged by the fire.  (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

Crews blast away damaged concrete with a machine that uses high-pressure water.  (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

Crews remove concrete from the tunnel.  (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

Damaged concrete is removed so that new concrete can be applied to the walls to make the structure safe again.   (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

Caltrans worker Marko Ramirez uses a chain saw to cut down a burned tree next to the transition road.  (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

Crews spray fresh concrete on the walls of the tunnel that connects the northbound 2 Freeway with the northbound 5 Freeway.  (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

Crews begin the process of wrapping concrete support legs with carbon fiber for strength.  (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

As the project advances, Caltrans engineer Tony Brake stands at the juncture of where crews have removed damaged concrete from the tunnel walls, left, and where new concrete has been applied.  (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

Contractor Hercor Ponce walks through the nearly pristine tunnel as repairs wind up.  (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

A big rig crash July 13 sent flames shooting through the air and dumped 8,500 gallons of gasoline that sent what officials called a “burning river of fuel” down the L.A. River and severely damaged the underpass.  (James Garvey / For The Times)

Black smoke rises from the July 2013 accident, which led to traffic headaches on several freeways.  (James Garvey / For The Times)

Black smoke billows from the fire burning beside the roadway from an overturned big rig.  (James Garvey / For The Times)