Bay Bridge closure, the next day
Yesterday, I blogged that the Bay Bridge was closed in both directions, and that the daily load on the bridge is 270,000 vehicles. It looks like my numbers were dated – the current traffic figure is 280,00 vehicles/day on the bridge!
The bridge remained closed today during repairs, and officials warned that the Bay Bridge will likely remain closed Thursday morning. The goal is to dampen vibration of the structure. Wind gusts of up to 50 miles/hour on Tuesday increased vibration of the rods that were fatigued and eventually failed. The part of the bridge that fell, a cross beam and tie rods, came from the section that underwent emergency repairs over the Labor Day Weekend. The Bay Bridge is 73 years old and scheduled for replacement in 2013.
(Note added October 31, 2009: The Bay Bridge is STILL closed in both directions. We’re hoping for Monday!)
Once the new steel parts are in place and the rods have been made tense, at least three hours of testing are planned before the bridge will be opened to traffic.
The CNN news article has personal anecdotes from commuters who attempted the commute to the peninsula by the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Mateo Bridge. On my way to an assignment this morning, I heard of an accident on the San Mateo Bridge that further slowed the morning commute.
Wednesday’s commute was “horrible” for many.
Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) ran extra trains and longer trains. BART was “on track” 😉 to exceed its peak ridership of 405,000 riders in a single day. Ridership also increased on ferries acros the bay. Amtrak ran a shuttle between the San Francisco and Martinez stations of Coast Starlight and California Zephyr passengers.
I wonder what will happen during the commutes tomorrow!
-Bill at Cheshire Cat Photo™
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