The Bay Bridge closure could mean for a messy commute over the holiday weekend. Travelers can expect to see crowded roads and packed buses, trains and ferries as the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge will be closed to traffic starting Wednesday night as part of a $6.4 billion span opening early next week.
The California Highway Patrol will prohibit traffic from accessing the bridge in both directions starting at around 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, which will force drivers to use other freeways. This closure will have a large impact on traffic as about 280,000 people use Bay Bridge each day, the Associated Press reports.
This will be the fourth time in seven years that the bridge will be closed for Labor Day Weekend, when traffic is usually lighter.
The new crossing is expected to open late Monday or early Tuesday but the exact timing is still up in the air. This work comes nearly 24 years after a 6.9 magnitude Loma Prieta earthquake damaged the eastern span which led to a public works project, many delays and political fights over its design.
Transportation officials are urging people to be aware of the closure and plan ahead. There are other options as the BART trains will run 24 hours starting Wednesday night and throughout the weekend. Additional bus and ferry service will also be available.
Transportation officials urged people to plan ahead for the closure. BART trains will run 24 hours starting Wednesday night through the holiday weekend. Bus and ferry service will also be bolstered to help people move around.
"Be patient, wherever you're going," John Goodwin, spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, said according to the Associated Press. "We saw this same thing during the bridge closures in 2007 and 2009. The Bay Area keeps moving. It just becomes more sluggish."
Construction crews will start working on the new single-tower suspension span as soon as traffic is stopped on Wednesday night so that it can be finished by Monday or Tuesday.
The large-scale construction is already complete, but crews have to prepare for its opening by striping lanes, adding railing and other final touches.
The bridge's opening ceremony is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Monday. It is not clear who will cut the chain for the opening. Gov. Jerry Brown will not be in attendance to be family priorities.
The first vehicles to cross the bridge will be CHP cruisers when it reopens as they will moderate speed.
For additional travel options and updates, visit 511.org.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
