DESERT CENTER, Calif. » Construction crews have been laboring around the clock to partially reopen about 50 miles of Interstate 10 through the California desert that was closed when flash flooding damaged several bridges.

The California Department of Transportation said limited traffic would resume at noon Friday — five days after the vital link between Los Angeles and Phoenix was shut down.

The reopening is welcome news for travelers and truckers, but traffic bottlenecks will remain.

Transportation officials advised motorists to expect delays of up to half an hour at peak travel times — including Friday evenings and late Sunday afternoons — at the most badly damaged bridge, where traffic will squeeze down to one lane in each direction.