Phil Matier: Labor Day Bridge Opening Not 'On The Table'
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)—Prospects for the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge to open over the Labor Day weekend are fading fast. A Caltrans representative told KCBS, KPIX and Chronicle Insider Phil Matier in Monday's Matier and Ross column that Labor Day is not back on the table.
The chances of a Labor Day opening seemed to have been revived a few weeks ago when a member of the Caltrans seismic safety peer review panel suggested a quick fix.
Phil Matier: Definitive Answers for Bay Bridge Opening Proving Elusive
Andrew Gordon, a Caltrans spokesman, said that while contractors are installing fixes for two seismic safety devices rendered useless by 32 broken high-strength rods, the agency could make a simple change to two other devices that would make the bridge safe in an earthquake.
The Caltrans full seismic review panel and the Federal Highway Administration are expected to issue reports on that plan next month.
If they approve the quick-fix, officials said they would need a couple of weeks' notice of the four-day shutdown.
Meanwhile, members of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which is overseeing the project, are on summer break and are not expected to return until after Labor Day.
The bottom line is: come Labor Day, you will be able to cross that bridge (not on the new eastern span) but stand by because they are going to have to close it some other time.
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