Congestion had speeds around 25 mph in the westbound lanes, and traffic cleared up at the interchange with the 110 Freeway next to the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Esmeralda Guerra, 33, wondered why her commute from downtown L.A. to Boyle Heights, where she works at a makeshift station for the East Los Angeles Women’s Center giving out free COVID tests and alcohol wipes, was cut in half Monday.

She clapped her hands when she learned the freeway was reopened.

“Oh that’s great news,” she said as she translated the news into Spanish for a co-worker who also celebrated.

Robert Vargas, 26, had a quick commute into downtown L.A. from Boyle Heights using the Metro’s E Line train.

There was no difference in his 10-minute commute from Mariachi Plaza station to Historic Broadway station compared with last week, he said, but he noticed streets were less crowded.

“There are less trucks in Boyle Heights and the local streets near downtown are definitely more clear,” he said.

Traffic flowed freely through the intersection of Whittier Boulevard and Soto Street in Boyle Heights on Monday morning, a far cry from last week, when semi-trailer trucks making wide turns blocked the intersection and held up traffic, with some neighbors complaining of the exhaust.

Lisa Liang, 54, an employee at nearby Chinese restaurant Jin Dragon, said she can tell the difference on Soto Street.

“The traffic is much better today on this main road,” said Liang, who commutes from Alhambra to Boyle Heights every weekday for work.

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