I saw on the news that crews found cracks underneath the Bay Bridge between San Francisco and Oakland and will be closed for some time. Looks like commuters will have to take I-580 or California 92. I can imagine the traffic nightmare.
So, that would be pretty bad diverting 280,000 vehicles :-o
According to an article I read today in the San Jose Mercury News, the problem is with an eyebar on the eastern span of the bridge, which has cracked and become rusted. While the bridge was already closed for work on the new span (where the old and new spans would meet on Yerba Buena Island), Caltrans did an inspection of the rest of the bridge and found this problem. According to the SF Chronicle, a replacement piece was fabricated over the weekend and was flown into the Bay Area today. Caltrans expects that replacing the old piece and adding the new could take as long as 24 hours, which would require the bridge closure to continue into Tuesday. Caltrans will be having a press conference at 5:00 PM PDT (local time -- that's about one-and-a-half hours from when I'm writing this) to inform the public if the road cannot open as planned on Tuesday.
Yep. Just saw the press conference on TV and they are going to delay the reopening by 24 hours. That means the bridge will reopen at 5 am on Wednesday. Traffic is going to be a bear tomorrow in the central Bay Area region.
Looks like CA-92 going to be packed tomorrow! :-D
or I-580/CA SR-37 and the Golden Gate.
My dad and I used SR-37 to get back to home on last Thursday and it was backed up :ded: and that was with the bridge still OPEN!!! (it closed at 8:00 pm that night) - mind you that is a 2 lane road
I drove around the Bay Area yesterday to clinch the interstates and traffic was "decent". There were a few backups including SB I-80 at the maze (where 4 of 7 lanes go to San Francisco)
Imagine that times 10 and the returning Labor Day commute :pan:
I-580 / US 101 is shorter than via Route 92.
well it's open again :clap: - two hours late, not bad.
QuoteI-580 / US 101 is shorter than via Route 92.
It may be shorter but you are going to pay $9.00 in tolls ($4 for Richmond-San Rafael Bridge/I-580 and $5 for Golden Gate Bridge) vs $4.00 for the San Mateo Bridge/CA-92.
It's all moot anyways since the Bay Bridge reopened this morning around 6:45 AM.
Quote from: myosh_tino on September 08, 2009, 04:25:02 PM
QuoteI-580 / US 101 is shorter than via Route 92.
It may be shorter but you are going to pay $9.00 in tolls ($4 for Richmond-San Rafael Bridge/I-580 and $5 for Golden Gate Bridge) vs $4.00 for the San Mateo Bridge/CA-92.
It's all moot anyways since the Bay Bridge reopened this morning around 6:45 AM.
actually the GG bridge toll was raised to 6.00 for cash (4.00 for FasTrack)
Quote from: Master son on September 08, 2009, 09:18:30 PM
Quote from: myosh_tino on September 08, 2009, 04:25:02 PM
QuoteI-580 / US 101 is shorter than via Route 92.
It may be shorter but you are going to pay $9.00 in tolls ($4 for Richmond-San Rafael Bridge/I-580 and $5 for Golden Gate Bridge) vs $4.00 for the San Mateo Bridge/CA-92.
It's all moot anyways since the Bay Bridge reopened this morning around 6:45 AM.
actually the GG bridge toll was raised to 6.00 for cash (4.00 for FasTrack)
Looks like I missed that last increase. BTW, the cash toll is $6.00 but it's $5.00 if you have FasTrak. That is the main reason why FasTrak use is so high on the Golden Gate. The other Bay Area bridges (Dumbarton, San Mateo, Carquinez, Benicia, Richmond-San Rafael, Antioch and SF-Oakland Bay Bridge) charge cash and FasTrak customers the same toll, $4.00.
Funny video. :-D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YO9yLiu4gCA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YO9yLiu4gCA)
Driver gets busted.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfXrmPKo5Ss (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfXrmPKo5Ss)
Be well,
Bryant
Wow. My thoughts after viewing those videos can be summed up thusly: :pan: :pan: :pan: :pan: :pan:
Add at least one more :pan:.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091028/ap_on_re_us/us_bay_bridge_closure_6 (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091028/ap_on_re_us/us_bay_bridge_closure_6)
Closed again. I can't believe only 26,000 use this bridge daily. That's just over one full lane of traffic during peak hours! I'm thinking that's a typo for 260,000? In which case, yes, that's a mess.
It's closer to 280,000 AADT.
You better take a day of absence if you live in Oakland and work in SF.
QuoteThat's just over one full lane of traffic during peak hours!
No, that's 2,250 vehicles/hour/lane.
Quote from: AlpsROADS on October 28, 2009, 06:31:29 AM
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091028/ap_on_re_us/us_bay_bridge_closure_6 (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091028/ap_on_re_us/us_bay_bridge_closure_6)
Closed again. I can't believe only 26,000 use this bridge daily. That's just over one full lane of traffic during peak hours! I'm thinking that's a typo for 260,000? In which case, yes, that's a mess.
I agree but they even just said 26,000 on our CBS affiliate's local news here but knowing that it is at least 8 lanes there's definitely more than 26,000 on there daily. Basically SF/Oakland traffic might be worse than DC's right now :no:
I'm glad I live in Phoenix!
When will the new bridge be ready? :rolleyes:
Not until the Year 2013.
yup - closed again, problem that caused it was the "fix" they put on it on Labor Day weekend.
CNN iReport:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.cdn.turner.com%2Fcnn%2F2009%2FUS%2F10%2F28%2Fcalifornia.bay.bridge.accident%2Ft1larg.bridge.irpt.jpg&hash=93359690ad438fdc4b9961fc48adaa6f6f886d28)
Yow!
The piece of steel on the bridge deck bashed into the windshield of the Ryder truck on the left, injuring the driver. Two other cars crashed into the Ryder truck as it slowed in advance of the falling steel. Unbelievably to me, no one was either seriously injured or killed by this event. :wow:
CNN breaking news:
QuoteThe San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, damaged by debris nearly a week ago, reopens to traffic.
They've since reopened the bridge, but then there was the big rig that plunged off the S-curve on the span set for replacement in 2013:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/09/BAAE1AHDO3.DTL (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/09/BAAE1AHDO3.DTL)
Changes coming to Bay Bridge after death plunge
Henry K. Lee, Michael Cabanatuan,Jaxon Van Derbeken, Chronicle Staff Writers
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
(11-09) 18:18 PST OAKLAND --
Caltrans will add more safety measures and warning signs on the Bay Bridge to try to get drivers to slow down before the new S-curve, where a speeding truck driver lost control early Monday and plunged in his big rig 200 feet to his death on Yerba Buena Island, authorities said.
New signs advising motorists of the 40 mph speed limit on the S-curve, reflective striping and radar boards flashing drivers' speeds are among the changes in store in the aftermath of the crash, Caltrans spokesman Bart Ney said at a news conference Monday.
There have been at least 43 accidents in the curved area since it opened Sept. 8 as part of the eastern span replacement project, but the truck plunge was the first in which someone died.
The California Highway Patrol said the primary factors in the accident were the driver's speed and the shifting weight of his cargo, not any problems with the S-curve's design.
10 mph over limit
The crash happened about 3:30 a.m. as the big rig, loaded with pears, was traveling on the westbound upper deck at about 50 mph - 1o mph over the speed limit in that zone - said CHP Sgt. Trent Cross.
The truck tipped over the 3-foot-high concrete rail on the northern side of the S-curve and plummeted onto Yerba Buena Island, landing on its wheels and disintegrating into countless pieces. Security guards who were first on the scene said it was clear that the driver, a 56-year-old Hayward man whose name has not been released, died instantly.
The driver was an independent operator who bought the big rig several months ago, authorities said. For the past eight months, he had been a subcontractor for JM&R Trucking in Oakland.
"He was a good person, a prompt person, always on time," said Mike Russell, the firm's owner. "He was a safe driver, absolutely."
Investigators suspect that the driver's load of pears shifted as the rig hit the S-curve, something that could have helped propel the truck over the side of the span.
Weeks-long probe
Caltrans inspected the bridge and reopened the far-right lane to traffic at 7:45 a.m.
About 15 CHP investigators were collecting evidence on Yerba Buena for a probe that is expected to take weeks. Overhead, a mattress, apparently from the truck's cab, could be seen balancing on the bridge railing.
Cross said CHP officials believe the S-curve is safe. "We don't believe it's a design flaw," he said. "There's nothing tricky or complicated about the curve. I can stand here with confidence and say that if you drive the posted speed limit, you will make it through the curve safely, just as thousands of drivers do every day."
Cross said there was no video from security or traffic cameras on the bridge that captured the crash.
On Oct. 14, a Safeway big rig truck flopped across four lanes when it hit the S-curve, tying up westbound traffic for hours. The driver was unfamiliar with the new turn and was going too fast, the CHP said.
Tough adjustment
Some drivers have had difficulty adjusting to the 40 mph limit on the S-curve, a 10 mph decrease from the rest of the span. The increase in accidents and drivers' complaints had already led Caltrans and the CHP to install new signs and flashing lights.
The CHP has ordered radar units, the electronic boards that flash the speed of an approaching car, but it is unclear when they will be installed.
Today, crews will begin adding 6-inch-wide reflective strips on the barriers on either side of the S-curve on both decks, Ney said.
At some point, crews also will install a large overhead sign warning westbound motorists of the 40-mph zone ahead, Ney said. That sign, which will be accompanied by flashing lights, will be placed near the top of the incline on the upper deck, Ney said.
Hours after the accident Monday, Caltrans began posting warnings on electronic message boards on Bay Bridge approaches warning truck drivers to slow to 35 mph at the curve, an advisory speed limit. The legal limit remains 40 mph.
Caltrans has considered installing "rumble strips" - rows of traffic dots extending across the roadway - in the area of the S-curve, but has no immediate plans to do so, Ney said.
Steps taken
The agency has already made several changes in hopes of getting drivers to slow down. Last week, crews painted solid white lines to discourage lane changes and added raised pavement markers - some traffic dots and some reflectors - to jar drivers moving to one side or the other. It also added a large overhead warning sign on the eastbound approach to the S-curve.
The CHP said the majority of S-curve crashes have been fender benders. The crashes have been split relatively evenly between the upper and lower decks and have occurred mostly during noncommute hours, when traffic typically moves faster, officials said.
"From day one since we had this S-curve open, we've tried to instill in the motoring public that you really have to watch your speed in this area," Cross said. "Speed has always been a factor in every traffic collision that has occurred in this S-curve."
Chronicle staff writer Justin Berton contributed to this report. E-mail the writers at hlee@sfchronicle.com, mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com and jvanderbeken@sfchronicle.com.
The Bridge now has it's own app for the iPad. lol.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mashable/20110516/tc_mashable/san_francisco_bay_bridge_becomes_ipad_game
Also, it will be closed again (well, just some lanes going EB) for a new traffic shift over Memorial Day weekend.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/05/17/BAK01JHESG.DTL