LOS ANGELES (AP) The U.S. Department of Transportation is making $2 million in emergency funds immediately available to California to help repair a Los Angeles-area overpass damaged by mid-December’s big-rig gasoline tanker fire.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement Dec. 22 that the funds should help speed the rebuilding process of the Paramount Boulevard overpass on State Route 60 in Montebello. The bridge already has been partially demolished following the Dec. 14 accident.

The federal funding became possible after Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency Dec. 20.

The damaged overpass has resulted in bottlenecks on Paramount Boulevard and restricted access to businesses, which are the primary source of revenue for the area.

The highway, known as the Pomona Freeway, is a major commuter corridor east of downtown Los Angeles.

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