Long Weekend Closure Of Bay Bridge Upper Deck Underway
Editors' note: The Bay Bridge closure could end earlier or later than scheduled. Text ALERT to KCBS (45227) and we'll text you when it will reopen.
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - Those headed to San Francisco from the East Bay this Presidents Day weekend will not be able to travel on the Bay Bridge from Friday evening through Tuesday morning.
The westbound upper deck was closed around 8 p.m. Friday for lane reconfiguration at the Oakland touchdown just past the toll plaza. Drivers have been urged to make alternative plans.
Caltrans spokesman Bart Ney said that the closure will allow crews to construct a detour near the toll plaza and to stripe lanes and place a guide rail along the route.
KCBS' Mark Seelig Reports:
The detour carrying westbound traffic will shift traffic to the south of its existing path, making room for construction crews that need to demolish sections of the existing roadway currently in the path of the yet-to-be-built incline section.
The bridge's upper deck will be closed through 5 a.m. Tuesday, although weather could delay the deck's reopening. Eastbound traffic, carried on the lower deck, will be unaffected by the closure.
Vehicle travel between Treasure Island and San Francisco will also be unaffected, according to bridge officials.
Alternatives for crossing the Bay include taking BART, which will run overnight service at 14 stations during the closure, hopping a ferry from the East Bay or Vallejo, or taking the Richmond-San Rafael, San Mateo-Hayward or Dumbarton bridges.
AC Transit, which will not operate over the bridge during the closure, will provide regular service in the East Bay by connecting to and from the West Oakland BART station.
More information can be found at bart.gov, actransit.org, eastbayferry.com and baylinkferry.com.
During the closure, motorists are recommended to check the Bay Bridge website -- baybridgeinfo.org -- for updates and to visit511.org or call 511 for real-time traffic conditions and information on detours and public transit.
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