CBSN Bay AreaWatch Now
Filed Under:Bay Bridge, Caltrans, Commute, Gridlock, San Francisco Giants, traffic
A view of the new eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on September 8, 2013 in San Francisco. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) — The timing of the Bay Bridge’s emergency repair on Wednesday during a San Francisco Giants’ game that caused massive gridlock has received plenty of criticism.

The emergency repair began early in the evening and prompted the closure of several lanes on both the upper and lower decks, creating miles of gridlock on San Francisco’s city streets. Caltrans officials said driver safety is always their number one priority.

 

 

Caltrans’ Leah Robinson-Leach said they were a bit caught off guard by the problem.

“Some people thought the hole was a pothole. It in fact was not, it was a matter of a joint that had a great deal of wear and tear as a result of all the cars,” she said.

She explained that because Caltrans wasn’t clear as to what was going on that they couldn’t efficiently get the word out about the emergency repairs.

“We had to determine what in fact the issue was before making any decisions,” she said.

She added that road repairs couldn’t be put off if it jeopardizes public safety.

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